DP: Year One
by Fruitiest of Mallards
Summary: Young Danny Fenton was fourteen when his parents built a very strange machine, designed to view a world unseen. When it didn't quite work, his folks just quit, but then Danny took a look inside of it.../Danny's Portal accident, to beyond 'Reality Trip.'
1. THE ACCIDENT, 1

****SEPTEMBER 23rd, 2004.****

Daniel James Fenton dreamed of starlight. He often did, unintentionally; patterns of flame upon the surface of suns, swirling galaxies, the recent discovery of a planet made entirely of pure diamond, floating nebulae. He was fascinated by outer space and had every intent to be in NASA one day. His mom and dad didn't joke when they said he ought to earn the best grades he could in school if that was what he truly wanted. It was difficult sometimes when he was younger because of all the distractions which came with being a kid, he didn't know how his elder sister had managed to enter the advanced classes she did when a little girl.

It wasn't a foreign temptation to him to shove his work to the side, lay down, and snooze the evening away, but the driving motivation to become an astronaut brought him back to his pencil and paper every time. It helped that he was a member of a family of geniuses. His parents were independent inventors, contractors and consultants, while his sibling Jasmine reached high honor roll her freshman year of high school and scored the highest consistent test results in their district's history. Danny felt a bit small in comparison when he thought about it.

Awakening, he stared up at his bedroom ceiling blearily, processing the new morning slowly. It was his birthday. He had been born at three o'clock a.m., it was six a.m. now. He was officially fourteen, no longer an awkward preteen. Pulling an arm from beneath his blanket, he observed that it was still thin. He hadn't grown to traditional adolescent, lanky proportions overnight. He didn't know what he'd expected. He was the same person he was before, just technically older.

Oh, well. It would be a long period till he could say he knew what it was like to wait in line for an amusement park ride and not be turned away because of his height, or lack thereof. His thick black hair was tousled due to subconscious tossing and turning. Glancing at his window, he saw a brightening sky. Yawning, Danny got to his bare feet, moving straight for his closet. A great chunk of his wardrobe were t-shirts and blue jeans, he picked out a nondescript gray shirt and one of the many jeans to wear. He had only two sets of shoes, sneakers normally and a black pair for formal occasions. A dark suit hung untouched behind everything else.

Having gathered clothing to change into he took a shower, relieved that for once Jasmine wasn't hogging the bathroom. Quickly lathering his hair in shampoo he wondered what today would bring. It seemed immature to be too excited, or ask for presents. He didn't have a cake last September. He finished his washing, drying. He ought to act as if he hardly noticed. Honestly, he wished to at least go to a restaurant. Maybe it was selfish to. He shrugged at his reflection in the mirror. Wouldn't know unless he talked to his parents. They were likely to be awake, busy as they were.

Dressed, he walked back to his room and yanked sneakers on, tying the shoelaces. He left the door open. It was then, crouched on a knee, his nose caught a strange scent. It took a moment to recognize it: smoke. There was smoke in the house. Had anyone noticed besides him? Obviously if they had it wasn't a huge deal. He decided to play it safe. Grabbing his backpack which he'd organized before going to bed, it crossed his mind that his sister was probably already gone, he didn't bother checking.

Danny trekked down the staircase and through the living room to the kitchen. He immediately caught sight of his parents sitting tiredly at the dining table, both of them had their fingers wrapped around coffee mugs. His dad Jack grinned at him, exhaustion lining his face, his mom Maddie merely smiled. Jack was a gargantuan man, above six feet and wide in shoulder width. At forty, he was packing on some pounds. It was easy to tell he didn't let it get to him. Sheer black hair like Danny's own, peppered with silver framed expressive gray-blue eyes. Danny's eyes were a much bluer shade.

Maddie was the same age as Jack as well as his complete opposite, not tiny compared to other women though smaller than her husband. Compared to him she might seem delicate but by herself she was sturdy. Auburn cheek-length straight locks emphasized the purple of her irises. She was in good shape, a recognized martial artist. Ninth degree __aikidōka__. Danny could barely kick the air without falling all over himself.

"Hey," Danny ventured, "What's up?"

Maddie responded first, "Nothing much," she looked at Jack. He raised his broad eyebrows, there was a pause. Her mouth quirked. They burst out laughing. Danny blinked, taken aback. It was going to be a weird Wednesday, evidently. It was light and cheerful, he couldn't find it in him to complain. "If you've noticed the smoke smell, it's coming from the lab. Just to get some air flowing through, don't worry about it," she added. That answered his unspoken question. He had a hunch what caused the smoke. For the past twenty years his parents had been concentrating on a single huge project.

They'd spent a lot of money installing it from scratch. The Fenton home wasn't like other abodes. For one, it had a title, emblazoned on a neon light sign out front; FentonWorks. For two, it had an ops center on the roof. Its basement was not a place for storing junk but a laboratory. A big workspace, Danny and Jasmine saw it tons of times growing up, through a glass observation room. Steps leading underground stopped at a wall of glass separating whoever didn't have a key card to activate the sliding door. Neither Danny nor Jasmine had ever physically been inside the lab. The entrance to the lab was in the kitchen, actually, he could see it where he was. It was left ajar.

The closer he peered at it the more obvious the billows of near transparent smoke tumbling out became. The thing Jack and Maddie worked on predominantly was the Fenton Portal. The Portal was intended to rip a hole into another world, basically. Danny had it explained to him enough times to be able to describe it even if he didn't know precisely what the different terminology meant. His parents were ectologists. He almost thought 'studiers of ectoplasm,' but that wasn't right. The research of ectoplasm was ectoplasmology.

His parents' studying centered around the theory that when a person died and they were aware that they were dying, the last strong emotions created in their brains were powerful enough to make a psychic imprint in a parallel dimension, which would take the form of ectoplasm and become 'ecto-entities.' In other words, ghosts. Specters. Remnants of the living. Impressions on ambient ectoplasm floating in who knew where. Well, if the Fenton Portal operated the way it was supposed to, Maddie and Jack would know.

Think of the 'ghost world' as a sheet of wax and Earth as a thin sheet of, say, rubber, with glad wrap between them representing the border. Push down on the human side, and a dent would be left in the wax, with no sign on the rubber once the force was removed. Danny was repeating what he'd heard, of course. He was more of an astrologist than...whatever his parents were.

"Uh, I think the smoke's getting thicker, maybe?" Danny pointed out, jerking his chin at the lab door. They didn't seem to believe him but then Maddie appeared suddenly alarmed, Jack's eyes narrowed in response. Danny wasn't incorrect. They stood, chairs creaking, Maddie looked at her son sidelong.

"We'll take care of it, and after school we'll go out to for dinner for your birthday," she said.

Danny brightened. He was closer to his mom than his dad. She always knew what he was thinking, "Okay. Have fun," he gave a single wave, turning and leaving the kitchen. He had a bus to catch.

* * *

The school was walking distance if Danny felt like getting the exercise, which was never. FentonWorks was on Gaste Street, he only needed to travel a little ways before coming upon the bus awaiting him. He hadn't missed it so far and he didn't plan on it. His long time best friend Tucker Foley rode the same bus. As Danny entered the school bus he spotted Tucker at once, an empty seat beside him. Most likely Tucker saved it. He moved to sit there and wasn't surprised by the lingering gazes he received. Most of the kids on the bus, in the school overall, he'd known since elementary, maybe kindergarten. Tucker he'd met in preschool. Everyone knew everyone in Casper High.

It was pretty quiet in the vehicle, anybody talking was hushed and low. No one wanted loudness after getting out of bed less than half an hour ago. He and Tucker were comfortable with each other and knew one another like the backs of their hands. Tucker said nothing and neither did Danny. It wasn't necessary. Danny was, by the calendar, older than his friend, so Tuck' was still thirteen. For a few more months, anyway. It didn't make a difference. Tucker usually wore a red beret, when he was a boy playing hide and seek with Danny he was obsessed with hats. Apparently that habit carried over to high school. They bonded, if their parents' stories were to be believed, through their shared fixation on video games. Play dates were arranged subsequently.

Tucker was an African American, green-eyed, black hair shortly sheared. He was what teenagers referred to as a technogeek. He was a whiz with technology and gadgets, his parents had careers which they used to support his engineering interests as well as buy him as many PDAs as he thought he needed to survive his life, as he liked to claim. He gave the PDAs their own individual (female) names. PDAs were palmtop computers which functioned as personal organizers, providing access to the Internet and thus e-mail.

Tucker was a go-with-the-flow kind of dude. He made jokes, his sense of humor was sharper and more creative than Danny's, who liked puns, but he was lazy. Oh, and he liked to knit, though he'd never forgive Danny if he told anyone. The bus stopped directly in front of the school. Unloading it was a habitual affair, nobody fought like they did in middle school. That would be just embarrassing. Row after row followed the one before them, Danny and Tucker were among the sixth. On the sidewalk Danny shivered slightly at the chilly breeze, wishing he'd brought a jacket.

Approaching the front doors of Casper High, Danny took in the white building. It was two stories, fairly small, at least compared to the huge high schools he saw on live action TV shows. It wasn't fancy, rather homely. If the photos on the light green walls were anything to go by it was built when films were monochrome. Inside it was warmer and Danny was appreciative of that.

He and Tucker parted to find their lockers, it was five days since the new school year started and Danny was finally able to find his locker without rummaging through his memories for a prolonged minute. The teachers weren't any help, he'd tried the first day. He asked the vice principal, a balding, somewhat round-bellied man called Lancer, whom informed him with all clarity that it was his responsibility to memorize his own locker's location. Thankfully he was good with numbers, or at the very least, he forced himself to be in order to attain his dream of entering NASA. His lock combination came easily.

He hoped he wouldn't run into his sister, she was a junior, it would harm her reputation. He cared mildly about that, although he worried for his sanity more. Jasmine would probably inquire how his week was going and be a general mother hen. She liked to behave as if she was concerned about his mental development. She was conceited. Full of herself, but respected for her intellect and, in a manner, beloved. By school staff, anyhow.

She had acquaintances, other girls phoning her in the afternoons on her cell. Her closeness to them, he wasn't sure. She dated in the past. Her hair was long, touching her back, an orangey red in contrast to their mother's reddish brown. Her eyes were unlike either of their parents', an aqua green. She had a tendency to push back her bangs with a teal headband. She was considerably stylish in dress, preferring long sleeves. She was on the higher end of the social food chain, meanwhile her brother dwelt in the middle lower spectrum alongside his friends, of which he had two. Jasmine, or Jazz, as she liked to be nicknamed, had great relationships with basically every teacher in Casper High. There wasn't a single one she wasn't familiar with by name and face.

First period was with the vice principal, Mr. Lancer. He was an English teacher on top of being V.P. and substituted for various classes. He wasn't mean but he wasn't kind. Danny didn't have a term to label the middle-aged instructor with. The classroom was fairly empty when Danny entered it, he didn't see Tucker until just before the bell rang and students came pouring in.

"I forgot, happy birthday, man," blurted Tucker as Danny moved to a desk behind him.

Danny smiled, "Thanks, Tuck'."

"What're you gonna do?"

"My parents said we'd go out for dinner tonight, that's it."

Tucker nodded, "Only a few more months before I catch up with you dude, and then the ladies will be _all_ over me."

Danny rolled his eyes, then flickered to the other side of the room when someone snorted. It was Dash Baxter, avoiding eye contact, sorting through his backpack for something.

A robust blond boy—dark eyebrows revealed that wasn't his hair's true color, Danny had known him to have dark hair when they were younger—with purplish blue eyes, Dashiel Baxter was a charismatic A-lister, a popular footballer, quarterback actually, and a sophomore. His hair was purposefully slicked backward and he had a big chest. His voice wasn't as deep as a person would expect it to be for his size, however, it didn't change anything. Dash was favored by most. He frequently donned a Letterman jacket and he didn't have much affection for Danny Fenton. He didn't __bully __Danny, not yet, but it wasn't unimaginable.

Maybe Danny was being paranoid and uncharacteristically pessimistic. Years ago, in a mixed seventh-sixth grade class, Dash and Danny became at odds when the latter overheard the former mocking FentonWorks and the people who lived there crudely. Danny, in a rare instance of outrage—he was an amiable kid, who let things pass by—told him to quit it and it escalated to yelling. The teacher had to intervene. Dash never seemed to get over it, singling Danny out at every opportunity.

His parents were repeatedly painted as the town kooks, the crazy people, he hated it. His mom and dad themselves weren't fazed by it. He envied their thicker hides, simultaneously baffled that they didn't feel concern about it whatsoever. They had confidence which was absent in their son. Dash kept sending him strange brief looks since the school year began and Danny didn't know what he was thinking. It was too soon to assume the guy was going to give him a hard time.

Did __Danny __stare? Was that it? If he simply ignored the other teen completely would that dissolve the tension? He hoped so. If luck was lenient it would turn out that Dash had matured and was in fact a nicer person. Danny for certain wasn't the same he'd been in middle school. Initially he'd been more ready to fight back when bullied. As the enmity with Dash progressed though, Danny found himself growing quieter and more withdrawn. Calling them out on their actions only made it worse. He knew better in the present than he had then.

"We'll be using the computers today," Lancer proclaimed, "Try not to shock yourselves plugging them in."

* * *

Second period was biology. Mr. Falluca was a short aging man with gray hair and kind eyes who never seemed to raise his voice. He described the lessons they'd be going through and handed out papers individually. Tucker didn't share this class with Danny, unfortunately, but somebody else did. Samantha Manson, Danny's other friend.

He didn't greet her, but did catch her eye momentarily on the path to his usual seat. He'd gotten to know her in seventh grade, found her crying alone underneath a stairwell and didn't speak to her until she stopped. She told him that the other girls were absolute witches. Listening intently, he didn't argue. After that he said hi to her in the halls between class periods and eventually she sought him out to hang with during lunch.

Since they didn't have any classes together the lunch commons became their primary area of interaction, which also meant Tucker never met her until eighth grade. Now that they were freshmen it was random chance the three of them were placed in similar schedules. They even had the same lunch period. Danny didn't intend to waste the serendipity. She and Tucker clashed on ideals but it was a matter of time before they warmed up. He was positive.

Sam was an ultra-recyclo vegetarian. He was pretty convinced she made that up herself. Whatever, it fit her. She didn't eat meat, while Tucker was a fanatic about the stuff, she wanted a cleaner, healthier world, Tucker was content to accept the world as it was, she was a Goth, he was a gadgetry nerd. In the beginning Danny possessed his doubts, he got over them. He knew them. They were good friends. If they had that in common, surely there was something they could relate with in one another.

He decided to think about that later and worked on his given paper.

* * *

Lunch rolled around after history, which was third period and uneventful. The commons were crowded, as they ever were. Cliques sat with their respective members. Instead of sitting with his fellow geeks, Tucker chose to be with Danny, as it happened so did Sam, abandoning her Gothic circle. She had a salad, Tucker got meatloaf, they did not talk, scarcely recognized each others presence.

"So, how's your day been?" Danny threw out to break the ice.

"Good," Sam said first, "I finished a poem."

"Nice," Danny said.

"A cute chick replied to my text!" Tucker burst.

Sam finally turned to him, "With a restraining order?"

"Hee-_eeck_ no!"

_Here we go,_ Danny sighed internally.

Tucker seemed to flip his hair without having much to flip. Was it possible to flip a beret dramatically? "She just couldn't resist my charm." Danny had to admire his conviction, he really believed what he was saying.

"Do you even know her name?" Sam crossed her arms over her chest.

Was that a glare behind the sheen of glasses? "I will soon!"

"So, uh," Danny interrupted, "Remember the thing we'll be doing tomorrow? At my house?"

That halted them both, Sam's probable insult visibly dying in her throat. Their bodies angled toward him, awarding full attention.

"Yeah," Tucker confirmed, "What about it?"

Danny searched for an answer, "Well—" He didn't have anything to say, "Just wanted to make sure you guys were still coming, I mean, yeah." It was painfully obvious he'd spoken at all to stop them from fighting.

To his shock, they both looked guilty. Tucker glanced to one side, Sam pursed her lips.

'The thing,' was the activation of the Fenton Portal. Danny's parents and Tucker's brought it up originally. Tucker heard about the Portal through Danny when they were young, knew almost as much as Danny did. Sam he'd spilled the beans to during the last year of middle school, in an attempt to keep her interest as a friend. She had been growing distant and the knowledge that his mom and dad were actual ghosts scientists hooked her in. She was intensely taken with the paranormal and spooky lore in general.

Long story cut short, Tucker wanted to see the Portal be turned on since he was five. Jack and Maddie agreed to it a couple weeks before freshman year started. Tuck's parents were fine with it. They knew the Fentons would go the extra mile to keep their son safe. Sam much more recently asked her parents if she could come over to Danny's place on Thursday, he suspected she hadn't told them the whole truth, but, hey, they were her parents, not his. His parents weren't averse to the idea of an audience.

Jasmine would be there, too. Jazz didn't like their mom and dad's career choice, not outright insisting they would never find ghosts, but heavily implying it. Danny thought that was cold of her. Ectology was their parents' passion, their lifetime effort, and she dismissed it so readily.

He hadn't seen her all day.

Danny made a meaningless gesture with one hand, "Anything else new?"

Conversation reignited; things were alright.


	2. THE ACCIDENT, 2

Fourth period was boring, although Danny liked to think he aced his mathematics. Fifth period P.E. had Tucker, Danny, _and _Sam in the gymnasium. Coach Tetslaff was a slave driver, Danny supposed that meant she was an effective teacher. She was a burly woman who strongly reminded Danny of his aunt Alicia from Arkansas. She was his mom's sister, they couldn't be more dissimilar. If she was more like Tetslaff he'd definitely dread visiting her. Sam was athletic and she wasted no time grabbing a basketball and shooting hoops. She missed some and scored some. Danny and Tucker tended to walk around talking, today they didn't. They shadowed Sam, mute. She didn't protest. Overall, life was monotonous for Danny Fenton, exactly how he liked it. Excitement for him was usually—

"Hey, Fenton!"

Detrimental.

Dash Baxter was in Danny's P..E. He forgot.

The jock had a calm smirk on his face, meandering over to the trio, "I want to know what your sister's like."

Danny froze.

The plain unexpectedness and audacity of the question was what got him first, then, the comprehension. Dash had a crush on his sister. Oh, _gross_. There was little else a handsome teenager like Dash could want from a...uh, beautiful girl like Jasmine. Danny was aghast. What if she liked him back? He had no idea what her taste in dating was like. For all he knew she thought Baxter was a dreamboat. For all he knew—

There was honestly no right response to something like this, "Um, can't you ask her yourself?"

Dash didn't say anything for a moment, watching Danny's freakout with amusement. He nodded once, a jerky motion, "Sure." He turned and walked away.

Oh, god. What had Danny done? Did he just give permission to some asshole to hit on his big sister?

Tucker and Sam were staring at him.

"Uhh..."

They looked away.

"That was weird," Tucker tried. Danny...didn't reply.

* * *

Spaghetti with meatballs and tomato sauce. The restaurant they went to was filled to the brim, but the waitress still found them a table. They chatted in between bites, cheerful, Jack and Maddie glowed. The memory of P.E. jolted Danny, he needed to warn her about Baxter. Maybe it wasn't the right time yet, he debated, swallowing a mouthful of noodles. She was across from him, picking at her food, seemingly troubled.

"My friends keep pestering me to date," Jasmine confessed.

Jack supplied the typical anti-boy speech all fathers were required to melodramatically spew at some point in their lives where their daughters were concerned.

"You have friends?" Danny coughed.

She huffed.

They didn't go out for things like this very often. In actuality, that occasion might have been the first time in a year. Home-cooked food wasn't from a can, Maddie cooked meals herself, from the bottom up. Shopping trips were long events. She was a multi-tasker, many things got done throughout the evening while supper was readied. On this particular Wednesday after they got home she vacuumed, took out the trash—with her son's aid—and helped her daughter...with something, all Jasmine needed to do was shoot her a meaningful look and they disappeared to converse in a different room so the men of the family wouldn't overhear.

He had no homework because he'd completed it all in his classes earlier. It was also the first week of school, homework was sparse. With a satisfied belly and a cloud of drowsiness over his head, Danny bathed, changed into pajamas, and slept. He never got around to interrogating Jazz. The desire to know what Dash wanted with her burned in him, as well as a strange protectiveness. It was her business in the end, but if that jerk did a single thing wrong by her...

He'd do what? Provoke Dash? He didn't have the guts. Then again, anger would be fueling him. It was unwise, but a logical conclusion. So was being sent to the nurse's office with a black eye.

The following morning was dull. His parents were for once in bed while he prepared for school. He assumed, anyway. They could've been in the lab.

The bus was freezing as he remembered the day previous. Tucker was animated, informing his friend he'd step off the bus with him to his house after school ended, like they'd planned.

First period flew by.

Then second. Third. Lunch. Sam and Tucker refrained from quarreling, miraculously. Fourth. Fifth...Dash had team practice. He wasn't anywhere in the gym. Sixth, then finally seventh...the final bell rang.

The bus ride home went fast. Danny thought he saw a bright white owl perching on a mailbox during the ride. It seemed to look right at him. Some minutes later Danny's feet touched the first step outside FentonWorks' front door, he unlocked it with the key he'd had since third grade when he started riding school buses in place of being dropped off or picked up. Within the house Tucker wasn't unfamiliar, Jack clapped a voluminous palm on his shoulder, "How're you doing, Tuck'?"

"Fine, sir," Tucker beamed.

"Good ta' hear!"

Waiting for Sam to arrive, the two boys passed the time flipping aimlessly through T.V. channels.

Jasmine joined them after a few minutes, surprising her brother. She was silent, sitting on the edge of the couch. She caught him ogling. He had to find a good moment to approach her with what worried him. She would understand, wouldn't she? She was always going on about how he could come to her with anything...

A knock at the door careened them out of their idleness.

Danny opened it, revealing Sam.

"Hi," she greeted.

"Hey," he said in return, "Come on in," he couldn't see a car. Her parents must have left.

"Thanks, again, Danny," Sam said, "I'm really...excited." She paused, finding the words.

"No problem, Sam."

Maddie came to check on them, seeing Sam, who she'd never met, she introduced herself. Sam was polite, Danny thought it was intriguing how different she was compared to her snarkiness at school. His mom went to retrieve Jack, who strolled into the living room soon after she disappeared, his wife next to him, "Everybody gathered?" He set his arms akimbo, he didn't wait for a response, everybody was looking at him pointedly, "Great! This is a really huge thing for Mads and I, I hope you gang will enjoy it as much as we will."

Danny glanced at his friends and sister. If Tucker was a dog his tail would be wagging. Sam had curiosity written all throughout her face, in the shine in her violet eyes, her raised brows, blonder than her dyed black hair. Jazz—was unreadable. They followed Maddie to the kitchen, the lab door and down. Bright lights illuminated the observation room where the stairs ended, ominous clear glass the sole obstacle between them all and the sleek, expensive laboratory, which was lit, not a corner hidden from view. Outfitted with equipment, metallic objects, it wasn't stereotypically white like what one saw in movies. It was an amalgamation of dark green hues. Far back in the center was a hexagonal hole in the wall; it went on deeply and disappeared into darkness.

"Cool," Tucker was awed. He'd been there before, but not with the laboratory so plain in sight. It was usually dim when Maddie took he and Danny to get a glimpse as children.

Jasmine was stony, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Danny realized Sam held an object in her hands despite her bag having been placed by the front door above. It was a camera.

The married couple looked like a million dollars. This day would make their career. Danny's chest swelled with pride, if this worked, the world would never be the same, and the world didn't even care to know it. Danny liked the thought that his parents might just be happier from then on.

The sliding door closed.

They did some things, pulled some levers, pressed buttons, typed codes into the computers. It was fascinating to Tucker due to the technology, but Danny looked on closely for far more personal reasons, they were his mom and dad, and it was an experience to see them this excited. Eventually Jack turned to face them with stride and gave a thumbs-up.

It was time.

The plug he picked up was huge, Maddie holding the opposite piece. She kissed her husband on the cheek. Nothing could describe how the lines in Jack's face melted, he looked younger. It painted an incredibly sweet picture and even Jazz smiled a bit. The two parts connected.

It appeared to start up...

Like a sad sparking engine, nothing happened.

Maddie slowly lowered her hood, the red goggles coming back with it. Danny saw her mouth move, though he couldn't hear her. __I...don't understand. __Jack was sluggish to respond, __Me, either. __They spoke some more, hushed, beleaguered, their faces turning away, Danny couldn't see their lips.

"What happened?" Tucker was the first to recover.

"It didn't work," Jazmine answered without pretense, "Just like I thought it wouldn't."

"Hey," Danny was fast to defend, "They did their best."

Jazz frowned. "Whatever. It was doomed to fail from the beginning. I love them, but they have their flaws." She left up the stairs that she had come through. Danny fumed. How could she say something like that? Jack and Maddie were silent as the grave as they came back to the group.

"Well..." Maddie said quietly after a long while, "I'm...sorry to disappoint you kids."

Then they left.

"I'm really sorry it didn't work," Sam said uncertainly, awkwardly.

"It's okay, I mean...they'll figure out what went wrong."

"Um..."

"Yeah?"

"I...really wanted a picture of you in here...is that alright?"

"Why me?"

"You're the ectologists' kid...I thought it would have some novelty then."

If they weren't friends that would have stung. Danny didn't know why, but he felt like a prop in a play when she put it that way. "Sure," he wasn't going to deny her something she obviously wanted so badly just because of this. He looked around at the surroundings and couldn't help but think that they were bland. His attention turned to the glass and his first thought was, __No, I couldn't, __then he said, "I've got a better idea. Why don't you take a picture in the lab?"

She looked as stricken as he'd ever seen her, "But...wouldn't that be disobeying your parents?"

"This is about the only chance Tuck' and I will ever get to go in there and not get in trouble." Tucker's crossed arms came down to his sides at the mention of his name, "I don't think you get how much this means to us."

"Uh..." Tucker searched for words. "Are you sure?"

"Why not?"

"Don't they have cameras?"

"They never check 'em," Or at least he never heard them talking about it.

Tucker was hesitant, "Okay, dude..."

"Well, that is, if the door even opens. It might not. Sorry to have gotten your hopes up if it doesn't." He took a step forward, fully expecting it to defy him. The door, that was. His parents didn't slide the card to shut it. It was anticlimactic; no alarms went off, Danny didn't feel as if he'd just broken a law. His friends followed his lead.

He turned on his heel and looked at Sam. She took the cue and a flash brightened the microscopes and magnifiers set up on the tables to the left and right. While Tucker absorbed as much as he could of his surroundings, Sam went around photographing whatever she thought seemed interesting. Danny wasted no time getting up close and personal with everything he saw. He didn't touch them, the last thing he wanted was to risk contamination. He wasn't sure his mother or father would notice, he didn't want to risk it.

It was when he found himself standing at the mouth of the defunct Portal, gazing into it contemplatively, that Sam called, holding her camera up so he could see, "Stand right there."

And suddenly he grinned. Just grinned. This was all going more smoothly than he'd imagined.

"Better idea."

Tucker knew him well, "You're not doing what I think you're doing?" Tucker said loudly. "Are you serious?"

"What? It's perfectly safe. The thing doesn't work anyway."

"...Can I get a picture in it after you?"

"Ask Sam, not me," Danny gestured to the girl.

She tilted her head as comprehension dawned on her, "I don't see why not," A jovial glint in her eye.

Danny approached the Portal, stepping inside its shape. He smiled as widely and toothily as he could, putting some real effort and emotion into it. __Click, __went Sam's camera. "Got it," Danny started walking out, and staggered over a cord. It made a cracking sound beneath his shoe, and something began.

A rising hum, the tang of electric potential in the air...and a swift, crushing foreboding, the product of instinct faster than thought. He tried to run.

Everything around Danny lit up–white light, intense–it consumed Danny's vision. His friends were enveloped in the light in an instant, he was blinded. For what must have been a fraction of a second time froze as he understood what he'd done. He'd done something very, very stupid. He __saw __the electricity traveling up his body before the actual agony started to register. His world transformed into nothing but pain in every nerve and fiber of his—he stopped thinking. His throat became raw with ear-splitting screams. Everything lurched as his heart crashed, and his brain forced a blackout to preserve itself.


	3. THE ACCIDENT, 3

Swirling green hellishness.

Hands lifting him. Cold floor.

Then, nothing.

* * *

Fuzzy shapes came into view, slowly, hurried whispers, orders in medical jargon barked in efficient tones. Danny gazed upwards, registering nil. Everything was in fog, he could not move. His eyelids closed, opened. It struck him—it hurt to think, oh god—that he'd blinked. He did not know where he was. He did not know why he was there. He was hot. Dry. Fried. He could only focus on how horrible he felt. Everything ached, but there was a stinging in his right arm. A different pain from the rest. Once he found the strength to move his eyeballs the direction he wanted them to, he saw a...thing...a line...sticking into his flesh. He didn't like it. He wanted to get it out. His body refused to obey him.

He must have drifted off, exerted too much effort, because it was hours later, it seemed, that he came to again. _Beep, beep._ A sound, he hadn't noticed before. _Beep, beep, beep._ It was so obvious to him now. Was it there the first time he woke? He was no longer burning up. He was ice. By far more aware than he'd been the first time around, it still hurt to even fidget. The room, he observed, was pale, lacking any color. It was crushingly quiet. He was stiff. Swollen. With...numbness. He wished someone would appear and tell him what was going on. He was going to lie there, confused and clueless, for a very long time indeed if no one did.

It was a long time.

In his periphery, a feminine figure walked in the room, which had no door and approached him, in scrubs, he couldn't quite seem to concentrate on her. She seemed to look at him, then disappeared. Moments later another form came to him.

"Hello, Daniel," said the woman, "I'm Jewel Ammons, your doctor. How do you feel?"

He couldn't speak. A hospital. He was in a hospital.

"It's alright if you can't answer, it's perfectly understandable."

He swallowed. Croaked.

"Please nod your head, if you can, if you're in any pain."

A breath. He did as was told. Nodded affirmative. Stared as intently as he could into her face.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Can you try to tell me where it is?"

His mouth was so, so dehydrated, "Everywhere."

"How bad is it?"

"Aches."

Dr. Ammons accepted it without question, "Do you know what year it is?"

"Two thousand...four."

"That's right," she was soothing, "Would you like to know what happened to you, or would you like to wait?"

"What...happened?"

"You were electrocuted in your home," she said, "An ambulance brought you here, you've been unconscious for approximately twenty-six hours."

Twenty-six hours he'd been utterly out of it.

"Hell," he wheezed. She didn't comment. "Where—are...my parents?" Each pause was an inhale.

"In the waiting room, with your sister, they've been here the whole time. I've been speaking with them. If you want, I'll tell them you're awake."

"Please."

She smiled, in such a way that it didn't seem inappropriate, despite everything which had happened, "I'll be back soon with them."

Awash with comfort at the idea of seeing his family, Danny sighed. He was sore beyond belief. His mother would croon and his father would hiss in sympathy, Jasmine forgoing her pompousness for once and sticking by his side, wordlessly consoling. He searched for a chair in the room and found two. Was he in the E.R.? He didn't know how hospitals were regulated.

When three familiar people entered the room in a harried wave they were not at all like what he'd expected. He supposed he hadn't been fair not to consider how they'd been affected. All three of their cheeks were puffy and pinkish, tired and so, so relieved at the sight of him, "Oh, baby," Maddie said, the feeling in her voice wrenched at his heart, his muscles did not wish to do as told but he winced. Her arms seemed to hug herself as if she didn't trust them not to reach out to him.

It was soundless for a moment as they absorbed his condition.

"I'm glad you're okay, Danno," A layer of moisture shone in his father's eyes. His deep rumble wavered emotionally. Danno. The nickname Jack had called his son for as long as Danny could remember. A warmness, entirely other than the burnt sensation, settled in his chest.

Memories of what exactly went down to bring him where he was now gradually flooded him. FentonWorks. He recalled noting his parents' happy demeanor, wanting them to stay that way, being annoyed with Jazz for not supporting them. Sam, and Tucker...Sam and Tucker?! Where were they? Did they get caught in the shocks, were they hurt? Did they get yelled at? Punished? It wasn't their fault—it was—it was _his_. It had been _his_ stupid, dangerous idea. Jesus, were they even _alive?_ Panic made his line of thought irrational, and it must have shown on his face.

His mother asked, worriedly, "What's wrong?"

"Ssss-am, and Tuck-er!"

Comprehension dawned on them, Jasmine grimacing at the choke in his syllables. Jack was immediate, "Their parents picked them up. They were—upset, I'm sure they want to know how you're doing."

_I want to know how they're doing!_ He begged his body to exclaim, the order sizzled out of existence like an unsuccessfully lit matchstick. With no warning it became hard to breathe. Hacking, he heard his dad call for a nurse.

* * *

Holed inside her bedroom, gripping a pillow for dear life, Samantha Elizabeth Manson sobbed.

"Samantha! Please...!"

Her mother's muffled pleading pounded in her ears, but the door was locked, and it would stay that way. The aftershocks of adrenaline had worn off hours ago, leaving her shaken. She wanted to take a photograph in the lab. A young boy was most likely dead because of her. She had no idea what happened to him after the E.M.T.s carried him away, blocked everything out as she lost her wits. The thudding of feet running down the stairs, the _disbelief_ on Mr. and Mrs. Fenton's faces, then the _anguish_. They'd lost their child.

She was a murderer. The force of the Portal activating killed the lights overhead, plunging she and Tucker into pitch blackness. The noise, like an engine coming alive, deafened. Somehow she could see Danny's crumpled, unmoving shape. She had collapsed to her knees, _"Danny!"_ and tried to grab him. He was unbelievably weightless—and white haired. It didn't occur to her that this was abnormal. His t-shirt was different, blue on black. His pants were brown. None of it made sense.

Static made her flinch back her hands as if they were on fire. Then, a ring of bluish white brightness illuminated him, enveloping him, starting from the waist and spreading across his legs and torso. He no longer glowed, she couldn't find him in the darkness.

She determined she had been hallucinating.

* * *

Tuckard D'Shon Foley was very still, lying on his bed. His frowning parents left him alone once it appeared he'd gone to sleep. How could he sleep? He wasn't sure what he'd seen—aside from the death of his best friend—and it didn't matter to him anymore. His flying thoughts slowed, he was in a state of acceptance. He would never forgive himself for this, he vowed. He'd never put anyone in danger again.

The tears threatened to form once more—Danny was _gone..._

* * *

Fatigue, low blood sugar, he was healing slowly.

It had been almost a day since Danny woke up; a few hours after talking with his parents he developed hypoglycaemia. Visiting times ended, they had to go home, but not without tearful goodbyes and promises they'd be back as soon as possible the next day. He was given carbohydrates—food, drinks—he felt markedly better, not as drained as he'd been. His father told him that he'd died twice in the ambulance. He also apologized. Profusely. With wetness streaming down his face. Danny'd gotten hurt because of them.

"No," he'd refused to hear it, "It was my fault. Stop crying."

Jack's jaw had clenched tightly but he didn't continue. He wanted to say something about the dumb decision Danny made, Danny could tell. He didn't, though.

He had an irregular heartbeat, Dr. Ammons informed him that when that and his blood sugar resumed proper levels, no further complications, he could be sent home. He looked forward to it. FentonWorks, where he belonged. It was sterile and foreign in here. He slept.

* * *

Sam was furious. The day directly after her friend __died __her parents were sending her back to school. She screamed and argued, but they would not budge. She wouldn't do a damn thing in class that day, she swore. Her father shook his head as she slammed the front door of their mansion shut and unlocked the car door. No chaperone or limousine, he was taking her there himself. She was reddened with anger. How dare they disrespect Danny like this, how could she be so weak-willed to go along with it...

Blocks away Tucker was similarly distressed, however, his mother notified him she'd phone the Fentons later that day and find out what was going on. That eased him. Maybe...Danny wasn't dead. Maybe he just needed time to recover. Tucker might've overreacted the night before. To school he went, he didn't look for Sam, she probably wasn't there. It was to his surprise he spotted her at lunch, sitting alone at their usual table. He almost sat there with her. He picked an empty beaten up seat instead, where no one ever sat.

He picked at his tray of food; mind unoccupied. That was a lie. It was overwhelmed.

* * *

The nurse applied bandages to the areas where the electricity burns were severest, Danny managed not to yelp as a certain region in particular was covered. Scars stretched along the length of his arm, they reminded him of blood vessels in appearance. Lichtenberg scarring, Dr. Ammons explained. They weren't pleasant.

"Sorry," the gray-haired nurse lady said, "Almost done."

It was nearly visiting hours. He knew his family members would be there soon enough. He hoped he'd be released this evening. He was feeling much better. It helped that the meals they had at the hospital didn't suck. He'd tasted airport fast food before, it was terrible, he distinctly remembered his father making a face and claiming it tasted like hospital junk. Well, looked like Jack Fenton was wrong this time. Or perhaps, he was simply hungry. He ate plate after plate, until he was bloated. Huh. Strange. Must have something to do with his blood sugar.

He sat back and relaxed, hyper aware of how sensitive his nervous system was, feeling every crinkle in the cot beneath him.

Sam and Tucker. He _would_ find out how they were doing eventually. He had to reassure them he was fine. Although for now, he was okay with the notion of dozing until his family arrived. He knew the doctor was concerned about PTSD, and he didn't know what to think about that. He might have it, at least a little. He could still imagine the sensation of being blasted from all sides. He screwed his eyes shut. No. Shut up. Don't think about it.


	4. THE ACCIDENT, 4

"We were on the local news."

Danny was being discharged. As his parents signed the papers, he looked to his sister, who'd spoken suddenly, caught off guard, "Seriously?"

She didn't meet his eyes, "Yeah, 'boy electrocuted in home,' they said."

His feelings were mixed. Did anyone from school see it? He really hoped not, "Okay..."

The ride home was peaceable, Danny rolled his window down and felt the wind as they drove. The family RV was a silver customized assault vehicle. No joking, an assault vehicle. It looked closer to a normal car than the ones used in the military, but it was still obviously _not_ a car. How his parents convinced the government to not ban it upon construction he had no idea. He was pretty sure they had a license for it, he'd heard them mention it in passing before. Apparently when they'd made it themselves, while Danny was just a baby, the authorities of Amity Park had given them some grief. It ended in his parents' favor. The window was a bit awkwardly placed from where he sat but he didn't mind stretching if it meant fresh air. His dad was a little reckless at the steering wheel sometimes, so things went by faster than they would have if his mom were driving.

"Tucker's mother called," Maddie said from the front passenger seat. Danny startled. His best friend. How could he have forgotten about him?

"What'd she say?"

"I told her you were alright now and she said Tucker was very happy to hear that. He wanted you to know he'd be there for you at school, when you return," she explained further.

A weight seemed to fall off the fourteen year old's shoulders, "I knew he would," Danny grinned genuinely, for the first time since the accident.

"I'm glad to see you're happier, sweetie," Maddie told him with an uplift in her tone.

No one said anything for the rest of the ride. They parked in FentonWorks' garage. It was air conditioned and familiar to him, having spent a good sized chunk of his childhood in it watching his father tinker. Once out of the RV—they'd always called it that, even if it wasn't—he could understand why the town saw his family as nut jobs, although it still churned him to think about. He gave it a long look. It had the FentonWorks symbol painted on expertly on the sides. Not huge, but not small, either. Noticeable. By now he figured only the people new to town didn't know about it. Middle school was a trying time for Danny, insults about 'the stupid tank your parents have' ran rampant.

* * *

Everyone was mindful of Danny the whole evening, he kind of appreciated it, but at the same time wished they would stop. He wanted to forget the accident ever happened. He wanted to get on with his life. Not that he wasn't, just...

The first thing Jack and Maddie had done upon entering the living room was ask Danny to sit down.

"We need to have a long talk," Jack intoned.

Danny knew what it was about.

"What were you _thinking?_ You almost—you _did_ die!"

"I'm _sorry_," Danny shook his head, "I was stupid, I don't know why I went in there."

He could still feel the scars on his arms and chest.

Maddie looked him in the eye, "We love you, and we want you to...well, I can't say 'remember this,' because I know you will. But you know why we're angry with you, too."

The heaviness on his mind was an anvil. He was an idiot for what he'd done, he knew. It was a miracle he survived that kind of shock—he assumed. No one had told him the voltage he'd been hit with. It didn't matter. He nodded. She hugged him. He didn't pretend not to return it.

The rest of the night was formulaic if with an air of oddness, resettling in a routine after almost losing a member of the family. Dinner, shower, sleep.

He awoke in the middle of the night, he didn't know why. He was hungry, but if he tried to get anything out of the fridge, his parents would interrogate him why he was up at this hour, he didn't want to mess with that. Strangely, the hunger was akin to a dull ache, more intense than what he was used to feeling, he didn't have the willpower to ignore it. He glanced at a small mirror in the hall on the way there and came to an abrupt standstill. Something was different about him, he didn't know what. His mind was bleary and no matter how long he stared at his reflection he couldn't register it as himself. An abundance of white and two neon green dots. He stood there for a minute or several. He forgot why he'd gotten up in the first place. Moving back to his bedroom he slipped back under the covers.

* * *

He was absolutely famished come morning. He devoured leftovers for breakfast seemingly with the speed of light.

He was returning to school today. His dad drove him there; Danny frowned slightly at what people must be thinking as the RV drove down the street, it was such a huge clunky noticeable vehicle. Oh well.

"If you have any trouble—"

"I'll ask the nurse to call home, Dad, I swear."

Jack nodded, Danny stepped out of the tank-car.

He walked through the front doors of Casper High and seemingly seconds later came face to face with Tucker.

"Dude!" They both exclaimed simultaneously. It was uncanny. Danny shook it off first and went on, "I hope you've been alright."

Tucker stared at him, "Danny—I hope _you've_ been alright."  
Danny swallowed, "You don't need to worry about that. I made a dumb mistake but I'm still alive, right?" Somehow, suggesting pretending it never happened didn't seem apropos.

"Yeah..."

They both had more to say, but it was all internal. Feelings, something teenage boys weren't good at conveying. Tucker's green eyes swam with thoughts, Danny thought he understood. Nothing more needed to be said.

"I guess we should go to class?"

Tucker blinked, "Oh, yeah, right."

It was on the way there a stiff, red-faced familiar figure clad in black and purple stomped past them...and stopped. Disbelievingly, on the heels of steel-toed boots, Samantha Manson turned. She looked like the world had fallen down around her. "Danny! You're alive!"

He had no idea what to say. She thought he was dead. Come to think of it, her parents never called to ask what happened. Only Tucker's. This was bad.

"I...was in the hospital, but, yeah," he finished lamely, "I'm alive." He felt like a moron for stating the obvious. It seemed like something she needed to hear.

Her violet eyes were wide, "I'm so sorry! I never meant for that to happen to you, it's all my fault—!"

He listened to her and gawked. He remembered what had happened. She asked him to pose for a picture. He was the one who decided to go into the Portal itself. She was exaggerating, blaming herself for something she hadn't done.

"Now hold on just a second!"

The fierceness he spoke with made the words die in her throat.

"None of it was your fault, Sam! I was a complete idiot. I almost killed _myself_, you just happened to be there," he said as firmly and clearly as possible, "You've got nothing to be sorry for. E-either of you." He stuttered the last words, blinking at Tucker, who was visibly moved by the whole thing. His face was haunted.

"I know..." Muttered Danny's best friend since childhood.

Good thing this hallway was mostly empty. If people were staring...well, for once, they'd have to deal with it. This was important.

* * *

Splitting up for classes was awkward, to say the least.

First period with Tucker, they both needed to ignore each other to get anything done—second period with Sam was strained, after awhile they both appeared to settle in and actually focus on their work instead of glancing at one another every few seconds—third was with nobody Danny knew personally. He breathed a sigh of relief—

"Hi, Fenton," a girl was walking up to his desk suddenly, Danny was surprised, girls didn't usually bother with him unless they were asking for a pencil, she stopped a respectful distance from him and continued, "Um...I was watching the news the other day and...you were in it," she was awkward and paused here and there, "My friends and I were wondering, what happened to you?"  
Everyone was listening in now. Dash Baxter turned in his seat.

Danny closed his mouth so he didn't look like a fish, "Uh—I—was in an accident in my house. I had to go to the E.R. It's fine now, though." He explained. This was exactly what he'd feared.

She nodded and went back to her seat.

He was glad he wore a long sleeved shirt. It hid the lightning-shaped scars on his arms. They were still sore, he hadn't told his parents that. He could deal with it.

* * *

Lunch.

Tucker was talkative, still a little subdued, but he seemed to want to move on. Danny didn't blame him. He wanted to forget, too. Sam poked at her salad with her spork. He looked away when she met his stare.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that," he said.

She asked, "With...what?"

"Not knowing."

"Oh..."

* * *

When P.E. came along it was nothing like Danny expected.

"Hey, Fenton," Baxter called from across the gymnasium, "Why'd your parents try to kill you?"

Danny couldn't believe what he was hearing at first. Then, he fumed. This was too much. In the past he'd taken Dash's stupidity, knowing it would pass. This was intolerable.

"You're an asshole, Baxter!" He shouted. No sense in lying.

Danny expected Dash to at least appear angry, like he did in middle school, but he only smirked, "You wanna do something about it?"

"Fuck off," Danny spurned.

"Right, 'cause you can't," Dash turned away with the most shit-eating smile plastered on his mouth.

Daniel almost shook with anger—an old sore spot was his parents, but this was even worse, accusing them of trying to _hurt_ him was unbelievable. Coach Tetslaff wasn't doing anything. She must have heard. Danny hated her in that moment.

"We can go back to the lockers," Tucker tried to pacify, "Or something."

"Fine," Danny grumbled.

"I'm really sorry, Danny," Sam said, "No one should have that said to them."

For some reason her voice was solace, "Yeah..."


	5. MYSTERY MEAT, 1

The three of them—Sam, Danny, and Tucker—were walking to the Tasty Burger—a fast food restaurant which was popular with teenagers, its sign had been defiled by vandals, replacing the T with a graffitied N, making it effectively the Nasty Burger—after school ended, something they had done every once in awhile before, Danny supposed they all had the same thought: settle back into normalcy. Since the Nasty Burger—it really was the Nasty Burger, as far as teens were concerned—was walking distance from Casper High they'd departed almost immediately afterward. Danny sent a text on his tiny cell phone to his mother letting her know where he was. Surely she'd understand. He needed to do things like this again.

Danny shivered, a wintry chill shooting through his spine, the frigidity in his torso swelled, a—fog—swarming up his throat and he found he had to open his mouth to release it, to get it _out_, it was a bluish white mist. He hiccuped, blinking at what just happened.

The next thing Danny knew, Tucker was spluttering, "W-what the _hell?_" Danny and Sam turned, and Tucker...

...was...

...being lifted up...

...into the _air_.

Tucker's clothes were rumpled in his midsection as if something was wrapped around him, pulling him off the sidewalk. Danny froze, unbelieving. This couldn't be real. It had to be a dream.

"What the hell is going on?!" Tucker shouted, trying to free himself in vain.

Sam yelped and Danny looked at her—

A green tentacle yanked her backwards onto her backside.

Danny's first thought was, _Oh, my god, this makes no sense, _then, _I want to make whatever is happening to them stop._

The panic sparking in him seemed to gather in his chest in an instant, the whole thing must have happened in a second, but to Danny it was a whole lifetime as his fists clenched and a sense of, _I'll help you, see if anyone stops me,_ overcame him. White-azure lights washed over him, he didn't have the sense of mind to actually look at them, only felt them as they passed. It didn't matter to him right at that minute that he was lighter, bouncier, altogether _different_, he was consumed by a need. A need to...fight.

He stared straight at the _things, _glowing, ugly, writhing things, and leaped. He vaulted upwards, he would have flinched at how unnatural it was, but his fists slammed into slimy forms on their own, in accordance to the building rage in him. How dare anything touch who he cared about? He was furious...and bashing onto the concrete, the back of his skull cracking, it didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. A low rumbling sound came from the creatures. It was terrifyingly...distinctly amused.

In Danny's eyes, what happened next was a blur, but a fierce one.

There were two of them, his brain noted distantly. They looked vaguely like octopuses, angry red eyes and snarling mouths where he was fairly certain natural octopuses didn't have them. He rammed and kicked with all his might, more than he ever knew he had, until at some point Sam was no longer screaming. She, and Tucker, were dropped hastily, unkindly. As they were Danny's goal, he slowed to a halt in his activities. One of the things let loose an inhuman screech, disappearing, the second following shortly after.

The aggression that flooded him gradually petered out; he was breathless in its wake. It had been a guide, bizarrely. It was the answer to everything, he was complete going along with it. Now...it was gone.

The silence was heavy. Danny's heart beat a mile a minute, though something about said beat felt off.

"What the _fuck_. Just happened." Tucker.

Danny whirled to face them with wide eyes, "Are you okay?!" Distantly he knew that wasn't the right thing to ask, but it was somehow all he cared about. Sam was hugging herself, pale and fearful, Tucker was equally stricken, both of them watching Danny as if he were an animal who'd attack at any provocation. It hit him.

His pants weren't the blue of his jeans, they were brown. His shirt was black with blue trimming. The unmistakable logo of FentonWorks sat inverted in the center. A white strand of hair waved before his eyes. His hair was the exact opposite of the color it was supposed to be.

"This is insane," Tucker said frankly, "I'm going home," the boy stuttered.

Danny didn't argue.

A moment later Tucker's legs seemed to obey him, marching him down the sidewalk in the direction of his house, leaving Sam and Danny alone. Danny wondered if anyone had seen what they went through. He gawked to the right and left but there was nobody standing there with their jaws slack, he didn't see any gaping faces in the windows of any houses. How did no one notice?

"I'm...going home," Sam croaked. She looked so afraid and fragile, Danny didn't know what to say. She spun on her heel and seemed to scramble back the way she'd come, he hoped she'd at least call for her parents to pick her up, he wondered if she'd even tell them what happened. He was by himself with his racing thoughts—was his skin tanner than it usually was? Greener? A nasty aftertaste rose in his mouth; he didn't like the color green anymore. With that sentiment echoing in his brain he recoiled as the coldness once again rose within him, he got a full view of what happened this time; rings as bright as florescent light bulbs materialized at his waist, splitting into two, one moving up, the other going down his lower body. As they did, whatever they touched was replaced with what was there originally. Blue jeans, white and red t-shirt, dark belt. Black hair.

He was himself.

* * *

"Hey, honey," Maddie chirped.

"Hi," he said, listlessly.

"Are you alright?"

"Long day, tired. I'm cool."

"I thought you were going out with your friends?"

"I was, but...change of plans," he shrugged. She accepted that.

"Dinner will be ready soon. Sloppy joes!"

Home was...bland, a stark contrast to what occurred only half an hour before Danny returned. He went straight to his room—nobody bothered him, except for his mother when dinner was ready. He ate, on autopilot. Jasmine asked him if something was wrong, he just looked at her and shrugged. He wasn't sure when he fell asleep afterward, but he must have eventually. Waking up the next morning was a task. The event of the previous afternoon didn't feel like it actually happened. It whisked through his mind over and over, as if on repeat.

He ghosted through his morning routine, heading down the stairs to the kitchen. His mother was working on a device, making notes in a sketchbook every now and then, turning it over in her hands contemplatively, pressing buttons and turning wires. His father was drinking coffee, Jasmine sat reading a book. Danny got a bowl, spoon, milk and a cereal box together, making breakfast.

He devoured the crispy cereal half-heartedly, he _was_ hungry, greatly so, in fact, but he wasn't in to it. Just as he was about to put the spoon in the bowl and take it to the sink to rinse it, it fell from his hand as if his grip didn't exist. He realized with a sharp intake of breath that he couldn't see his arm. He goggled at the _lack_ for a solid half-minute. Everyone else was consumed with what they were doing they didn't see his shock.

Maddie turned to Jack, "I think this might actually be ready, sweetheart," she indicated the device. She closed the notebook and her sketchbook of concepts she sometimes carried with her, tucking a pen away inside a pocket of her blouse.

"Fantastic!" Jack said excitedly, "Do you mind turning it on?"

"What do you think we'll find in the middle of our house, Jack?"

"Never hurts to do a test run," he insisted.

"Alright, then," she gave in, tweaking the invention and a beep sounded.

"_An ecto-entity is near,"_ Said the hand held machine.

Everything stopped.

Whatever the husband and wife were expecting, it hadn't been that, not even Jack. Maddie's chair creaked beneath her as she went to her feet, following a path the screen seemed to indicate. Her body language was curious. Jasmine rolled her eyes, to Danny's irritation. Hey, if the stupid thing worked, then what was the big deal?

Maddie was walking toward _him_, though! He shoved his not-there hand behind his back.

"That's—weird," Maddie murmured. She looked at Danny.

It was more than that. It was freaky. Something his parents invented to track beings which might or might not exist was honing in on him. What in god's name did that even mean?

He took a deep sigh, preparing himself, "Actually, I need to tell you guys something..."

The seriousness of his words caught all three of their attentions.

"That's not all you need, Danny," Jazz spoke up in his pause. _God, shut up, what are you going to say now, seriously?_ She stood up from her seat at the kitchen table, moving to stand pointedly between Danny and their parents, "You need guidance, and parents who can provide it!" Danny was flabbergasted. Was she honestly doing this?

"Jasmine," Maddie said slowly, "I know what we do doesn't always make sense sometimes, but you're only—"

"Sixteen," Jasmine interrupted, remorseless, "Biologically. But psychologically, I'm an adult," Danny stepped away from her, his father glanced at him, neither spoke, "And I will not allow your insane obsession with ghosts to pollute the mind of this impressionable little child!"

Was she _serious?_

"Oh, Jasmine," Maddie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Danny thought he could see hurt in her eyes. He glared at his sister. In his disbelief he lost the will to go on with what he was going to say, "What were you going to tell us, Danny?"

"Never mind," he shook his head, _It's not the right time. How do I tell anyone this?_

"I'll drive you to school today, Danny," Jazz continued.

"No, you won't," he said, colder than he realized he felt. He couldn't believe how taken aback Jasmine seemed at his response. What was she expecting?

He was surprised when his mother shook her head, "Danny, I know you won't like this, but I think that's a good idea," she was trying to find a compromise, or something, Danny didn't know, but his mother just plain looked tired, "I don't think you'll be able to make the bus," in alarm he checked the clock, realizing she was correct, "Your sister will get you there on time."

Great, that on top of everything else, "Alright, Mom."

Jasmine's car was a pink volkswagen, with a sticker on the back which read, befitting her budding psychiatrist mentality, _Have You Hugged Your Inner Child Today?_ It was ridiculous and Danny swore to god if anyone at school saw him get out of it and spread unsavory comments about him—it would be a last straw, leave it at that. Their mother and father had paid for Jazz's car, knowing she'd be responsible with it. Danny had never been in it before now. It smelled like fresheners on the inside and the backrest was soft. He studied her as she drove, looking away when she caught him. What was going on in her head?

* * *

Danny almost thought Tucker'd take the day off, but then again, why would his parents do that? Unless he told them what happened. Evidently, he hadn't. Maybe, they hadn't believed him. Tucker stiffened at the sight of him, they stared at one another. Danny broke the stare and sat at his usual seat. He didn't know what else to do. Everything was crazy, and he had to be even crazier for not freaking out like his best friend was. Did Tuck' want to be friends anymore? By this point, Danny wouldn't be surprised if...

Tucker looked away.

Danny's stomach sank.

* * *

Second period with Mr. Falluca's biology class was full of nothing short of mayhem and embarrassment. They were doing a group project with beakers...every single one Danny held, he dropped. They slipped through his palms like his hands didn't exist. Honestly, they didn't. Danny somehow managed to fall on his face while sitting at his desk. Everybody stared unabashedly, even Sam. By this point he just about wanted to die.

* * *

On the way to lunch Tucker was in the lead; he looked at Danny differently than he had earlier that morning, almost apologetically.

"I don't know what happened yesterday," Danny said, bluntly.

"Me, neither," Tucker replied, "I'm all for forgetting it ever happened."

Danny blinked. Tuck' was really trying to be funny? Or was he actually serious? Sometimes it was hard to tell with him. But about _this?_

"Uh...I'm going to tell my parents. Are you going to tell yours?"

"They wouldn't understand," Sam scoffed, "Or they wouldn't even believe it."

Danny had a feeling she was channeling her own bitterness towards her parents for a moment there, but he didn't comment on it, "Well, we have to do something! Sorry Tuck', but I don't think we can deny that that happened," he said, "I—"

Sam and Tucker were becoming taller and taller.

Danny was falling. Into the floor! _Oh my god—_

Sam reacted first, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him upwards, Tucker followed suit, getting a hold of his other arm. Danny was far too light to be natural. He floated a few inches above the ground before his feet went solid yet again and he stumbled as he landed, his real weight returning.

Then he went completely invisible.

He couldn't see himself at all. He backed up into a vending machine—went straight through it. It...tingled. He ran back out of it, after staring at the contents around his head for a moment. Bags of chips and cookies. Out of blind fear he rejoined his friends—his body materialized again.

"Dude," Tucker shook his head like a possessed man, "I can't deal with this."

"Fine!" Danny burst, "Don't! You think I want this either?!"

Tucker looked slapped.

Danny felt remorse. But what could he say? Sam was uncharacteristically quiet; that finalized his decision. He turned around and walked to the lunchroom by himself.


	6. MYSTERY MEAT, 2

_This is the machine that almost took my son's life,_ thought Jack Fenton, _and I built it._ He gazed at it, with both contempt and awe, it was closed but with the simple press of a button the chaotic greenness would be visible again, the ectoplasm. The Fenton Portal really was a doorway to another dimension. He wasn't certain what the future held for it now. Anyone else would dismantle the thing after an ordeal like what they'd gone through. But he and his wife had worked on it for nearly two decades of their lives. A part of Jack simply wanted to abandon it out of spite for what it had done. He couldn't blame a non-sentient piece of machinery by itself. He was at fault too. And...so was Maddie. He didn't like to think about that.

The lab was dimmer than usual, Maddie entered information in to a computer a few feet from where he stood. She didn't look at him. They both knew what had happened never should have. What were they supposed to do? Close it all down? It would be injustice after the effort they put into it. _Damn it all,_ Jack was torn, _my son almost died._

"Jack," Maddie spoke up.

He turned to her.

"I know what you're thinking. I'm thinking it, too."

He frowned.

"We can't give up."

_Isn't that cold?_

"I love you, Jack, and I think we should continue."

"...Alright."

Jack pressed the button; the Portal opened. Just as planned, at least, before everything went wrong. Time to begin anew. They both felt the wave of coldness fill the room, but neither saw the invisible specter exit the Portal, pausing to study them both. It flew upwards out of FentonWorks and out to the world at large without so much as a sound.

* * *

Sam was a vegetarian, Danny remembered, eyeing the all-new vegan menu the school cafeteria was boasting. She was also something of an activist, always trying to get involved in campaigns for animals' rights. He wouldn't be shocked if she had something to do with this. The Goth girl was perpetually participating in activities to try and change the school, along with other kids concerned with the same things she was. He was alone, and really he planned to stay that way until all this freakishness passed. On some level he didn't want to burden his friends, on another, he just wanted to be _alone_.

He sat at an empty table, far away from anyone else.

"Fenton!"

Oh, hell.

Dash Baxter marched up to Danny, "You see this?" He indicated his tray of vegan food.

Danny didn't even answer. Glared.

"I asked you a question, retard."

Danny shook his head, "I"m not dealing with you."

"Oh, bullshit," spat Dash, "See this garbage? You're gonna eat it!"

People were staring now.

"Leave him alone!" A furious yell rang out from across the cafeteria. Danny craned his neck around to see Samantha Manson charging over to meet Dash face to face, "He's done nothing to you! Screw off!"

Dash for a second seemed taken off guard, but then, "The faggot has to have his ugly girlfriend defend him, I get it," he scoffed.

Sam's shoulders squared and she positively seethed, "I'm not his girlfriend. At least I'm not peaking in high school," she snarled. The confusion in Dash's eyes revealed he didn't understand the insult. Of course not, "And at least I don't bully innocent people!"

Danny coughed once—a bluish wisp escaped his lips. Instinctively, he knew what it meant, even if he didn't understand it, and he thought fast. He grabbed his own tray of tomatoes, fruit and cabbage leaves—and shoved them in Dash's face. People _ooh_'d. Laughed in disbelief. Danny took the deepest breath he remembered taking since waking up in the E.R.

Students looked at each other. A troublemaker raised his own tray and tossed it on someone's head. More mimicked him. It was a food fight. Danny couldn't believe it. He thought this sort of thing only happened in cartoons, it was like everyone was on the exact same line of thinking.

He didn't waste the opportunity. He met Sam's eyes, tried his best to convey apology, then stood up and _ran_.

He followed the chill, the sense of _something there_ that penetrated the cafeteria, he wondered how in the world no one else seemed to be feeling it, but he did. His chest reverberated with the knowledge of it.

"You're gonna fuckin' pay for this, Fenton!" Dash thundered.

Dodging flying vegan food, Danny dove for the lunch ladies' door, hoping it wasn't all in his head. It wasn't locked, it swung open, Danny pulled it with all his strength, it thudded once it hit as far as it could go. He scrambled in, bringing it closed behind him. He prayed to a god he didn't believe in that Dash wasn't chasing him. He couldn't help it. He laughed hysterically, winded.

"Well, hello there, child," an old woman's voice greeted kindly. Danny jumped, electricity sparking in his bones. He turned and looked right through a portly lunch lady. That's all he could describe her as. She was dressed as one, up to the hairnet. She was transparent and green-skinned, "Could you help me? Today's lunch is meatloaf, but I don't see the meatloaf!"

Danny goggled.

"Oh, my, you look like you've just run a mile! I'll get you some loaf as soon as I can, growing boys need their meat...did someone change the menu?"

Slowly, he nodded.

It was like all hell broke loose.

"_Someone changed the menu?!_"

The air pressure in the room skyrocketed, the coolness became freezing, the woman became monstrous in her rage. It was so sudden that Danny gasped sharply. An unnatural gust of wind nearly pushed him off his feet.

The door opened and both Sam and Tucker, with varying amounts of thrown food stuck to their pants and arms, appeared. The door shut; they saw Danny first, then the undead lunch lady. They gaped. Something inside Danny flared to life, he barked to them, "Stay behind me!" They didn't move.

There was no hiding from what was going on here. This was a ghost. And _he_..."I'm goin' ghost!" He cried. Maybe it, the sensation in his chest, would obey him if he spoke aloud. It was as if a second nature took hold of him, he drew his arms and legs into a defensive stance; pale rings materialized at his waist and traveled up his torso and down his lower body. The black t-shirt and brown jeans replaced his previous clothing.

He willed himself to fly up higher, to see eye to eye with the ghost. He scoured his brain for things he'd seen on TV shows about amateur ghost hunters.

"I command you to—go away!"

She didn't even flinch. Pointing an arm at a stack of dishes, they glowed and shot out, aiming straight for him. He didn't know how but his body simply wasn't there when they were supposed to hit. It was like he'd gone intangible.

But some were still flying. Heading for...Sam! And Tucker!

His legs disappeared, turning into a wisp, some innate logic told him he'd be faster this way. He shoved them out of harm's way just in time. Sam screamed, he winced. It was practically right in his ear. He couldn't blame her, though. Tucker spouted a curse word, he didn't blame him for that, either.

Holy Christ, what was he _doing?_

The dishes all broke with a deafening crash on contact with the wall.

He looked at the lunch lady ghost again. Her expression was definitely irritated. The ovens behind her thrummed and banged, aglow with...ectoplasm, Danny realized. She floated up through the ceiling, leaving them alone with the ovens—which were shooting viridian flames of death at all three of the teenagers—which wanted to _kill_ them. The things began to move at high speed toward them, Danny panicked. He grabbed Sam and Tucker by the shoulders; Tucker particularly hard since he squirmed. He focused all his energy on repeating what he'd done before. Becoming non-physical. It worked, it spread to them, he hoisted them into the air and through the wall, just before the ovens slammed into them.

They tumbled unceremoniously in to a hallway.

"What the hell was that!" Tucker shrieked. His naturally high-pitched voice reached ear-piercing levels.

It was at that moment that the lights went out with visible electric shocks above their heads. The halls went dark.

Lockers opened; notebooks, pens, pencils and papers went shooting each and every direction. Danny ducked repeatedly to avoid getting smacked by various textbooks. The objects were moving in a pattern...Danny's eyes trailed them to their source. There she was. The Lunch Lady. Staring at them lifelessly.

Then, he smelled meat.

It was so unexpected, he made a face.

Pieces of meat, likely having been stored away wherever the school's lunch staff kept their meats, were gathering together upon the Lunch Lady's body. It was grotesque. She pointed a fleshy finger at them, "Prepare to learn why meat is the _most powerful_ of the five food groups!"

Danny didn't know he was speaking until after the words left his mouth, "Forget it!"

What was visible of the Lunch Lady's eyes appraised him, "Then, _perish!_"

He made his hand into a fist—

And transformed back into his normal, powerless self.

_What?!_

The Lunch Lady monstrosity roared, beefy hands wrapping around Danny and flicking him aside to collide with Tucker. Apparently satisfied with the damage she'd caused, she dematerialized. Who knew where she went to. The halls were still dark, but the chilly wind was gone. Papers and many other items lay strewn all throughout the floor. It was chaos.

Shaking, Danny hurried off of Tucker, who was huffing—hyperventilating?—Sam was huddled against the lockers.

Danny didn't know what he was, but he was pretty sure he'd just used his..._powers_, to save the lives of his two best friends.

He was exhausted. There was a certain straining in his chest which drained him. He didn't faint until after he was sure his friends were alright. They ogled back at him as his vision blacked out.


	7. MYSTERY MEAT, 3

The rest of that day was a trial.

Danny had to regain consciousness first. From the look on his friends' faces, it had probably taken a while.

When Sam, Danny, and Tucker mustered up the strength to traverse the near-black hallways, they were eventually found by the vice principal-slash-English teacher, Mr. Lancer, who interrogated them relentlessly on where they'd been. What did he expect, an hour-long confession? Eventually Lancer dismissed Sam and Tucker, bringing Danny to his office...where a smiling Dash leaned against the wall, as if he knew exactly what was coming.

Detention. For a week.

_Livable,_ thought Danny, though what wasn't livable was the fact that Dash, in the end, won.

When Danny was finally let go—after a stern lecture—he ignored Dash's presence and walked straight out of the room, surprised to find Sam and Tucker sitting in chairs outside the door. They looked at him simultaneously. _Shouldn't you be in class?_ He wanted to inquire, he didn't want them to get in trouble for his sake. But he remembered: Lancer had him in there for a _long_ time. They might not have been there the whole duration. In fact, just as he thought this, the last bell of the day rang, students began milling through the halls on their respective ways home.

"I'll walk home with you today, Danny," Sam said.

"Why?"

"In case something happens again," she reasoned.

"Me, too," Tucker added.

It was madness but it felt right, "Alright," he agreed, "I just gotta do something first."

Yeah, Lancer assigned Danny the task of cleaning up the cafeteria with the maintenance people, but that could be overlooked.

* * *

They were on the doorstep to his house—they'd walked all the way, a farther distance than the Nasty Burger, but tolerable—and Danny was dead on his feet. He couldn't resist swaying every few minutes. Sam bumped her shoulder once against his in an attempt to support him, it didn't do much, but it was nice of her. He unlocked the door with his keys and found his sister and parents standing in the living room talking, a little heatedly.

"You know that this is going in my memoir—" Jazz cut herself off, turning to look at the trio.

"Uh...I brought my friends over, is that okay?" Danny asked.

Maddie glanced at Jack, "I don't mind," she said, "What are you planning on doing?"

"...Video games," Danny lied.

"Sounds good to me," Jack shrugged. His son could only nod.

The three of them walked upstairs to Danny's bedroom. He shut the door quickly.

"You know," Tucker started, "I think that ghost would've been less angry if you and the rest of the vegans of the school hadn't changed the menu."

Sam stared at him, "What?"

"I'm just sayin', if you didn't try and force your beliefs on everybody..."

"I can't believe you!"

"Okay!" Danny erupted, "Less arguing about stupid crap, more figuring out what's going on!"

They both looked at him like he'd grown a second head. Then, they grew contrite. Tucker, anyway. Sam was still angry. She didn't say anything else, though.

Danny didn't often interrupt their quarreling. He'd had enough craziness in one day, he didn't need more. He knew they were scared and confused and that was making them say dumb things, but this was ridiculous. If they were anyone else he'd be much worse off. Tucker was a genius when it came down to it, and Sam was like the sharp black eyeliner pencil in her makeup kit he'd seen her use at lunch. They needed to keep their heads together. Including Danny himself. He took a breath.

"I don't know what there is to figure out, it's pretty obvious to me," Sam said, "Ghosts exist. One is haunting our school. That's it."

"Yeah, but how do we _get rid of it__?_" Danny almost demanded.

Sam and Tucker resembled fishes.

"Why don't we just tell your parents?" Tucker said after a pause, "They're ectologists."

It made perfect logical sense but it didn't _satisfy_ the burning in Danny. He wanted that lunch lady gone. He wanted to chase her away with his own two fists, he...he stopped that train of thought. Where did that come from?

"I...yeah," he mumbled.

Tucker's gaze on him felt like it bore into Danny, "You're not gonna, are you?"

Danny gulped, then spoke with a bit more force than he meant to, "_No!_ Unless you've forgotten, I'm...a ghost now, too! I don't know what the Portal did to me, but it did something, and what if I'm dead?" It was a weak argument, even to him, but it seemed to be enough for Tucker. In fact, both he and Sam looked spooked. 'What if I'm dead,' sounded stupid to Danny, but...if it convinced Sam and Tucker not to tell his parents for a while longer...

_If something my parents built gave me freaky powers, then maybe something they built can get rid of them..._he'd think about that later.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I don't mean to tell you guys to stop yelling at each other, and then turn around and yell at you guys."

"It's not your fault," Sam reassured him, "We were being stupid."

It was strange she was ready to admit that when she'd been pink in the face a few moments earlier, but he didn't point it out. They were all trying to think through what was going on. Things could be let go. Tucker looked like he wanted to say something to rebuke her, Danny said before he could, "What's happening to me?"

"I don't know," Tucker replied, "We can't tell your parents. They might experiment on you or something," he suddenly seemed horrified at what he'd said.

Danny gawked at him. He hadn't thought of that. But, his mom and dad? They loved him! They'd never...well, if he wasn't normal anymore...but that was crazy, he was still himself.

Sam blurted, "You can't just say something like that!"

Tucker whirled on her, "Shut up, already!"

Sam's expression contorted first in shock, then anger, and Danny just about had enough.

"How about you guys get out, try to get over yourselves and don't come back till you do?!"

It was Tucker who turned to look at Danny first. Sam's eyes slowly wheeled to him. It was a moment before Danny continued, "I mean it! We're never gonna get anything done if you're like this!" _Who said we had to get anything done?_ Said a voice in the far reaches of his mind. He held his bedroom door open for them.

Tucker gulped audibly, adjusted the shoulder straps on his backpack and left. Sam looked at the spot where Tucker had been, then at Danny, her eyes were guilty but she left, too.

Everything was quiet in their wake. Danny sighed.

* * *

_"...have a happy school day."_ The school morning announcements over the intercom ended. It was the next day and first period class, Tucker hadn't said a single word to Danny, who guessed that meant he hadn't gotten over his grudge with Sam yet. From what he could overhear, some kids had done silly stunts during the Lunch Lady's blackout the day before. He wasn't surprised. Exciting, unexpected things didn't happen much at Casper High, so when something did occur, students took advantage of the opportunity. The announcements also mentioned that someone extremely vandalized the cafeteria kitchen on police-alerting levels. If someone saw an officer, that was why. Danny winced.

At lunchtime Danny chose to sit in the part of the commons area that was outside. He barely poked at his tray.

What did this all mean? What was wrong with him? Why did he want to _fight_ so badly? He couldn't deny it, either. The Lunch Lady was—_encroaching_, on something she—it?—shouldn't have dared. She attacked his friends. He couldn't tolerate that. He refused to. It was like the very notion went against the fiber of his being.

He was taken aback when Sam and Tucker appeared in the seats in front of him. He'd been so immersed in his own thoughts he hadn't heard them walking up.

There was a pregnant moment.

"We made up," Tucker spoke up.

"Yeah," Sam agreed, "For you. You're the one with the problems, we should be helping you."

Danny thought he saw something large and moving in the distance, but he ignored it; probably a tree swaying.

"As your friends," added Tucker.

Danny gradually smiled, "Thanks."

That was when the wind spiked.

A horrible scent, like rotten carnage, blew over the three of them, and not only them. Danny heard people cry out, "Oh, god, what is that _smell?_" repeatedly.

They all gawped in disbelief and awe as a swirling mass of redness manifested above the school. Meat. Miles of...meat.

It was impossible not to hear the cackling female voice declare:

"It's _lunch time!_"


	8. MYSTERY MEAT, 4

Jasmine pushed a strand of ginger hair behind her ear; she was deep in a fairly one-sided conversation with a boy nicknamed Spike, whom she took it upon herself to counsel and talk to. Spike didn't have many friends and he wasn't very talkative. He was hardcore Goth, more so than her little brother's friend Sam Manson, his hair stuck up in a spiky mohawk and he was adorned with tattoos, piercings and a deliberately torn-at-the-edges sleeveless shirt. He was actually a thoughtful person, whenever he did speak it was sensible and open-minded. It was just that he didn't _talk_. Jasmine wanted to help him come out of his shell.

"I think it would be a good idea to try and open up to your parents more," she said.

Spike looked at her sidelong. There was no real disregard in his expression, he _was_ listening. That was good. They sat outside on a lunch bench, it was Spike's lunch period and Jazz, with the vice principal's permission, exempting her from an absence, skipped on her current class to try and get a break through with her 'patient.' She wasn't a legal psychiatrist, not yet, but practice made perfect.

"They love you, even if they have a hard time understanding you..." she trailed off, as the horrid scent hit both her and the Gothic teen.

Spike sat ramrod straight suddenly, "Wha' the hell?" His darkly painted eyes were glued on something in the sky, and Jazz's were, as well. An unearthly roaring rang out, jolting electricity through the air like thunder and lightning crashing. Chaos ensued as people started screaming and pointing at the monstrous being towering above them all.

Jasmine had never seen Spike so animated, he turned to her and asked definitively, "This is freaky. I'm going inside. You coming?"

Jazz, who'd begun to feel fear in the face of something that so defied the factual, hard reality she believed in, was pale, "Y-yes!"

* * *

"What in god's name is that thing?!"

"Oh my..."

"This can't be real...!"

Danny listened to the yelling and the horrified tones filling the outside commons around him. He didn't know what to do. A tugging sensation in his fingers told him to transform—when had he started thinking of it that way?—and confront the Lunch Lady, since surely that was who that monstrosity was. But something else told him to take precaution. A string of conclusions leapt through his brain. Who were the best at fighting ghosts? Ghost hunters. Who were ghost hunters? His parents. Where did his parents keep their ghost hunting stuff? In the FentonWorks laboratory.

"I gotta go," he nearly shouted to his friends, he didn't stick around long enough to witness their reactions. He ran behind a tree—no one was paying attention to some kid when they were freaking out, he went unseen—and intentionally _pulled_ at the coldness in his chest. It came alive, or was that the wrong phrase? Whatever. _I want to be a ghost again_, he thought as hard as he could, and it worked. The rings formed around his midsection again and he was once more a reversal of who he normally was. The white hair still baffled him. He jumped once, failing to take off, the second time was successful. He floated. Then, he rose higher. And higher. Until he was clumsily flying through the sky.

He was in the _sky_.

He was _flying_.

He could see the rooftops of buildings...

In the distance he thought he could make out familiar ones, which he always passed by when on the bus ride to school and home in the morning and afternoon. He followed that path, eventually coming upon FentonWorks. He stared at it for a moment. His parents would interrogate him on why he wasn't at school if he walked through that front door right now. He didn't even have his keys. They were in his backpack...which he'd left with Sam and Tucker.

Danny closed his eyes and _dove_, flying straight through the walls of FentonWorks. When he opened them again he was inside his house. He'd done it. Without his powers shorting out! With trepidation he landed on the ground and ran to the kitchen—he froze. He could hear his parent's voices in the living room. He'd materialized just between it and the kitchen. It was a miracle he hadn't been seen. Much more cautiously he made his way to the laboratory door, praying that it wasn't locked. He immediately wanted to hit himself. Even if it _was_ locked, he could walk right through it. That was what he did, privately wondering how he could be simultaneously so comfortable and yet uncomfortable with these new abilities.

He did just that, slowing when he arrived in front of the sliding door, which required a card to activate it. Danny cocked his head at it. It was useless now. He phased straight past it and into the lab. If it had always been this easy he'd have been in it a thousand times by the time he was six years old. He searched frantically for anything that may help him, but everything he saw was either locked up or secured tightly. That was when he saw a container-like thing—damn if he knew how to describe it—which held the black, orange and teal-blue accented armor suits he'd only seen his parents wear once in an ectologist convention in Chicago. _That_, the humming in his chest seemed to say, _That is what we need._

But neither of them would fit!

_Find one that does._

Where?

No answer.

He turned on his heels again and again trying to find something similar. Hadn't his parents once told him that they'd consider making armor suits for him and his sister as well if they were interested in ghost hunting? Did they ever go through with that? For the first time he hoped dearly that that was the case.

It didn't seem to be...

Unless...

He dashed over to a closet, when he was young he'd pestered his parents endlessly about what was what in the lab, and they mentioned a walk-in closet where they kept prototype suits. If they had made any which could be Danny's size, it would be in there, he figured. He was making jumps of logic but what else was there to do?

The tingling feeling of phasing through the door was ignored as he found he didn't have to squint in the darkness as much as he thought he would have to. He couldn't remember seeing this well in the dark, before. It didn't matter. If he was going to get dressed, he might as well change back to normal...it took some focus but he did change back to his black-haired self after a pause.

Something white and black caught his eye. It was definitely armor; it was primarily white, with black accents and a black hood, orange-tinted goggles resting where the head would be. All was eerily silent. He couldn't tell if it would fit him but it looked smaller than his parents' armor and he was desperate. He grabbed it and began attempting to put it on like a klutz. It took way too many long minutes for his taste to figure out what went where. He was nervous and screwing up a lot with it. _Idiot,_ he thought angrily at himself, _can't even dress yourself_.

It was only after he had it on as best he could he realized there was probably a light switch in the closet. He groped around for it—and actually found it. He flicked it on.

He looked like an absolute fool.

It was baggy in some areas, obviously not the right cut for a fourteen year old boy. He wanted to punch the wall. Damn it. _Damn it_. This wasn't what he'd been going for at all. It was hopeless. Why did he even try? Why was he so dead set on doing something he couldn't dream of? He might as well march back upstairs and tell his parents _everything—_

The bright bluish-white rings formed.

He couldn't stop them from traversing the length of his body, and when they were done, everything was completely different about him.

The suit was suddenly entirely form fitting. White upon black instead of black upon white. The hood was white, too, and when he looked in a mirror at the far back of the walk-in closet he saw that the goggles had turned neon green.

It fit. It felt correct. Like it was supposed to be this way.

He wasn't even going to question it anymore.

* * *

Finding his way back to Casper High wasn't all that difficult.

He zoomed in on his target—the meat monster known as the Lunch Lady, or at least that's what he called her. She gurgled horrendously, otherworldly green eyes narrowing at him.

Danny allowed his instincts to take over.

He gathered momentum and _kicked_ at her with all the force he had, it had an effect. An indignant snarl met his action, just as she hit the ground with a deafening slam. Meat splattered everywhere.

A gigantic fist rose up and Danny wasn't fast enough to avoid it. He was flung forcefully, crashing outside the fence which separated the outdoor commons from the rest of town.

Danny wasn't giving in. The _anger_ in him wouldn't let him. The armor really was helpful. The way it felt when he was hit didn't seem as bad as it might have if he were still in a t-shirt and jeans.

He wasn't sure how long the fight lasted—how many hits he took, how many hits he gave, it was all a blur to him, much like the fight with the ghost octopuses had been. After a while he was slammed into the ground yet again and...

The Lunch Lady, smaller now, seemed concerned, "Oh, dear, what a mess. Are you okay?"

Danny eyed her, rubbing a certainly bruised arm, but answered, "Yeah...I think so."

For some reason what she said next was exactly what he'd expected, "_Tough!_ Because you being okay isn't part of my balanced diet of doom!"

Ectoplasm-laced meat took shape around Danny, forming two feet tall vaguely humanoid...things. They were quite plainly hostile.

He leaped at them—they did the same. He stuck his leg out in midair and swiped them all at once with the edges of his boot. They splattered, for a minute it seemed like he'd beaten them, but they reformed a few feet away. He cursed internally.

He panicked when the thrum in his chest gave out momentarily, returning him to powerlessness. T-shirt and jeans. Oh, hell.

The things grabbed at his limbs and yanked him into the air, he struggled but it was to no avail. Once they reached a great height—nearly as high as Casper High itself—they dropped him. Just like that.

He screamed as he went into free fall, "Change back! Change _back!_"

Seconds ticked by and nothing happened—

Until something did.

A burst of light enveloped his vision and he was a ghost once more. He concentrated on flying as best he could, barely missing the earth which most definitely would have broken his neck. He panted in exhilaration.

He looked back up and the monster meat things did not seem pleased with his survival. A part of him quaked at the malice on their 'faces,' another part wanted to snort. As _if_ they could bring him down forever.

Danny saw something out of the corner of his eye.

His parents?! They were here?!

With his sister?


	9. MYSTERY MEAT, 5

"These guys are idiots," Jack said, waving at the TV screen.

Maddie looked at the screen, then at him, inquiringly. She'd been reading a science magazine. Jack was watching a show about amateur ghost hunters investigating a haunted hotel.

"They keep talking about ectoplasm and psychode as if they're two different things," he elaborated.

Maddie's mouth quirked, "Give them a break. Didn't you used to go out and do exactly what they are?"

Jack frowned but he didn't really mean it, "Yeah, but..."

Maddie's cell phone rang in her pocket just then, cutting him off. She answered it, "Hello?"

"_Mom!_"

Her eyes widened at the clear alarm in her daughter's voice, "Jasmine? Is something wrong?"

"You have to come to the school and pick up Danny _now_, or—or I will! I'll bring him home! I don't know!"

Jack was watching her concernedly. Maddie stood up, "What's going on?"

"I don't _know!_ There's a_ monster!_"

"Jasmine, you'll have to stop yelling at me, please. I know you're scared, calm down," all the humor in the atmosphere had evaporated, "What do you mean there's a monster?" She clicked the speakerphone button.

They could both hear Jazz inhale, "It's _huge_, and red, and it stinks. Everyone's going and hiding inside. I can't find Danny. I swear I'm not joking with you."

"I know you aren't, I believe you, sweetie," Maddie consoled, "We'll be there as soon as possible."

"Thank you..." She seemed hesitant to hang up. Maddie did it for her.

"A ghost," said Jack without pretense.

"Yes," agreed Maddie.

For years they'd heard stories from other ectologists and ghost hunters about ecto-entities more complex than apparitions and mindless blobs. They'd never encountered one for themselves, only obtaining sparse, contaminated samples of ectoplasm at high prices from the right people. The Portal was activated now. It had an extremely strong electromagnetic pulse. It didn't surprise Madeline that a particularly powerful ghost would be attracted to Amity Park, especially a place filled with such activity as a high school campus, but that didn't matter to her right now. Her children were in danger.

They gathered together what they had, and she hoped it would be enough. A device in the shape of a soup thermos, which she'd shown and explained the purpose of to her son and daughter before, an ecto-detector, and a net. It wasn't very much. It would have to do. Who knew what it took to take down a ghost. For all they knew, and for all they'd learned from other hunters, this would be adequate. If not, Maddie was a ninth degree martial artist, and Jack was no slouch with his fists. The thermos-like device would suck in whatever entity there was and contain it until it could be transported back to the ectoplasmic dimension by inserting it in a slot built in to the Portal. Their kids knew what it was, heard about it a thousand times. Well, now it was time to stop talking about it, and put it into action.

Jack must have broken the speed limit driving to the school, but no police sirens wailed, neither of them cared.

They met their daughter standing on the front steps of the school. She was distraught, "I don't know where he is," she told them, "Danny. I asked the staff...they're looking for him."

"We'll find him or someone will, don't worry. In the meantime, get in the car," Jack instructed, "We'll handle this."

Maddie's stomach churned at not knowing her son's location. What if...?

* * *

Danny spied something familiar in his father's hands. The thermos. The one he'd been shown since he was a little kid. It was the latest mark of the device, still a prototype. He knew what it was meant to do. An idea struck him. He dodged the meat monsters coming his way, phasing into the dirt ground, blinded by the sight of endless dirt around him temporarily, before rising up and looking around. They'd followed him into the earth. He'd lost them. He turned in his family's direction again.

Yanking the hood and goggles over his head so he wouldn't be recognized—white hair and green eyes and all, he was Daniel Fenton—for a second he was disoriented by the weight of the goggles over his eyes, and the green color it gave the world around him. It didn't last for long though. He zipped forward at top speed, snatched the thermos from his dad's grasp, exclaiming without thinking, "Thanks for the thermos!" and disappeared into the ground again underneath their feet.

* * *

Jack was blindsided.

Jazz shrieked at the sudden wave of coldness that washed over them.

Maddie stumbled back a few steps.

* * *

When Danny reappeared above ground he considered himself lucky to find the Lunch Lady almost immediately.

She didn't fail to notice the device he was holding, "No! Soup's not on today's menu!"

"I'm _changing_ the menu," Danny snapped in return, "Permanently!" He didn't know where this bravado was coming from, but it felt natural to exchange banter somehow.

_Please work,_ he wordlessly begged the Thermos, uncorking it and aiming it at the undead woman.

A surge of pure power flowed through him and _into_ in the Thermos. It whirred and buzzed.

Blue energy shot out of the Thermos and toward the specter. The Lunch Lady's form warped as it touched her, pulled into his parent's invention. She howled as she was finally defeated, "_Nooooo—!_"

As soon as the last of the energy seemed to be confined in the Thermos, Danny screwed the lid back on.

He transformed to a human again.

He was in the outside commons still, no one else was there except for Sam and Tucker. Had they been watching his whole fight? He found his abandoned backpack and shoved the Thermos inside of it.

Sam said when Danny approached them, "What happened? Where's the ghost?" Apparently they hadn't seen everything.

"Got rid of it," Danny answered.

"How?"

He lifted the Thermos for her to see, "She's in here. It's something my parents came up with."

"So are you going to tell them?" Tucker asked.

"No. I think I've figured out what my powers are for," Danny changed the subject, "They're for—"

"_Danny!_" His mother's voice called out from across the fence.

He glanced at his friends, "Mom!" He responded, running over to where the fence separated him from her, his father, and Jazz.

"Where have you been?! Are you alright?"

He shook his head, "I'm fine. Do you know what happened?"

"From what your sister told us, a ghost invaded your school," Maddie explained, "Yes, I know that's hard to believe, but it's the only logical explanation. Go to the car with your sister. We're taking you home after this."

"I'll have to take the long way out..." Danny said, "There's no gate in this fence."

"As long as you get there," Jack intoned, "It's unlocked."

"Okay," Danny didn't argue, not with the strange look on his father's face. He knew why it was there, "I'll see you tomorrow...maybe," he said to Sam and Tucker. They were staring but understood. What could they say? Their friend's parents just gave him an order. They couldn't say anything.


	10. PARENTAL BONDING, 1

The fleeting encounter was fresh in Jack's mind; he could remember the warmth being sucked out of his own body and the immediate atmosphere as the ectoplasmic entity whisked by and stole the Fenton Thermos from his fingers. The noise it made sounded like words but they were too quick to make out. It disappeared from vision, something in Jack's gut twisting at the sheer, literal unearthliness of the sight. He'd just been nearly touched by an entity which didn't belong on Earth, which should have passed on from this world peacefully, without imprinting in another dimension, if the powers that be were merciful. He admitted that he had a much more spiritual view of it all than his wife, who was entirely hardcore factual in her opinions on the subject, but that had nothing to do with the shaken looks of the students and school staff being interviewed by newspersons.

Everything, in short, was a mess.

A stray mushy, disgusting piece of meat clung to the bottom of his shoe. He scraped it off on the grass. The ecto-detector repeatedly went off, but it was only residual energy from the ectoplasm which had allegedly possessed the meat flung about, not anything of more substance. Not that the event could be denied, especially not with the strong odor of steak and ground beef lingering, or the chicken wing which had fallen on the windshield of someone's car in the parking lot. Otherwise evidence was hard to come across that wasn't from word of mouth. It was as if whatever the ghost had been up and vanished without a trace.

It was true that there was nothing more he and Madeline could do now. It was gone, logic told Jack that it was somewhere gathering energy to attack once more, but he had no authority to investigate the premises on a deeper level than they already had, outside, on campus but not in the building.

Maddie turned to Jack, "Did that thing _say_ something?"

"I think it might have," Jack said.

The more he replayed the string of sounds in his mind the more it sounded like, _Thanks-for-the-thermos._

Ghosts could speak. In full grammatical sentences. It could've been aping, parroting, in mimicry. But who said 'thanks for the thermos' on a regular basis?

He told her as much.

* * *

Danny turned the air conditioner off in the R.V.

"Thanks," Jazz said, "It was cold in here."

He glanced at her, "Yeah."

"Where were you?"

He thought about his answer, "Hiding."

"Why are you being so short with me?"

"Is now really the time?" He snapped.

"Yes!"

"Whatever." He brushed her off.

If she was upset he didn't look at her to confirm.

Eventually their parents walked up to the tank-car and got in.

Cautiously, Danny asked, "How'd it go?"

"Couldn't find anything," Jack answered, in a tone implying he didn't feel like talking. Danny could take a hint._Is that a news van out there?_ He wanted to inquire, but didn't.

"We're going home," Maddie said, "I'm not sure you'll be returning to school tomorrow."

"But...my attendance!" Jasmine exclaimed. She hadn't even missed school the day after his accident in the Portal.

"Jasmine, they'll understand. We can't be the only parents doing this."

Danny could _feel_ the emotion radiating from his sister in the seat next to him. He forcefully ignored it.

* * *

Jack and Maddie kept their eyes on the local news channel like hawks, watching for any anomaly around town. If the ghost resurfaced, they'd be ready to face it. They contacted the school, explaining what they believed happened and the evidence they captured, the staff were hesitant to believe in ghosts of all things, especially since the Fentons were the town kooks. Jack had a mild chip on his shoulder after that conversation. Ectology wasn't mocked by anyone who actually knew what it was. Mostly. Maddie emailed information of what had happened to their contacts, fellow ectologists; they expected acknowledgment, advice, or even outright help.

A response in particular they received was advisement to go public and challenge the school for endangering peoples' children further if they didn't allow professionals to look into the situation. Jack wasn't sure he wanted to go that far—but what else could it be? Besides, he could just imagine someone accusing them of not being professional, which was false. He was prepared to go through with it...when they got a surprising call back from the school principal, Ishiyama. She apologized for effectively brushing them off, she didn't use those exact words but he was pretty sure that was what she meant to say, and granted them access to campus.

Jack tried to imagine what it must have _looked_ like. It must have been like an act of God in the eyes of more religious individuals. Jesus, and no pun intended.

They would leave their kids at home for the day while they did this. Tomorrow. Jazz was mature and old enough to watch her brother while home alone.

* * *

The next day came and the married couple set off. The genetic lock which was the button only a blood-related Fenton could press and subsequently have the Portal open—the button had a built-in DNA scanner—was set to a default state, leaving the Portal open. It was convenient to have the ecto-dimension accessible, for studying reasons. The ectoplasm in it would prove handy in their testing. It didn't occur to them that as well as _getting_ things out of it themselves, things could come through of their own volition.

In the meantime at Casper High the search eventually proved fruitless, to their disappointment; scouring the length of campus up and down, left and right, their equipment barely reacted to anything. Little did they know back at home their son was getting far better results in his endeavors. He grabbed his purple backpack which held the Fenton Ghost Thermos in it and carried it against his chest, perhaps a bit possessive.

"You're not leaving, are you?"

Danny jumped, he hadn't realized his sister had been walking through the upstairs hall until he entered it himself. He shut his bedroom door behind him, "What makes you think I'm going out?"

"You looked like it."

"Well, I'm not." He said.

She sighed, "Okay."

He didn't have time for her. He needed to find a way to make the Lunch Lady go back where she came from. If he wasn't an idiot, that wouldn't be too hard to figure out. He moved downstairs, annoyed by the way his sister seemed to be following him. He was relieved when she stopped in the living room, he kept on to the kitchen, where the door to the basement lab was. Just to be sure he glanced over his shoulder. She was not spying on him. He was being paranoid, definitely, but something told him incessantly that he had to be _certain_.

He zoned in on the cold feeling in his chest like before and found himself...transforming, yeah, that was the right word. He'd thought it before, but he hadn't been thinking of it. He was now. He was taken by surprise, the black-and-white armor was still on, including the neon green goggles and hood. The sudden sensation of them upon his head and over his eyes, heck, all over his body, were unexpected. The chinstrap fit tightly on the lower half of his face. A part of him wondered where his normal self went when he became...this. He could find no answer and he was taking too long, anyway. He was half-afraid he'd bump into the basement door like a moron but he smoothly phased through it, stepping down the stairs, through the glass like he had before, and found himself in the laboratory he'd been prohibited from going in all his life.

Last time he'd been here he hadn't even considered being unnerved by the proximity to the area where he'd come so close to his own mortality. He stared openly at the Portal now, recalling like a montage the events which led up to his electrocution. His friends, who he was putting a lot of trust in, his parents' panic, which he hadn't been conscious to witness but could easily picture, the _pain_. Nervous, feeling like a child with no idea what to do, he looked around. There was a slot in the Portal to fit the Thermos in. Press the 'eject' button, bye-bye ectoplasmic entity. Not that difficult. Where was the slot, then?

...There!

Only the barest lights were on in the lab and it took him several moments of peering to find it. But there it was, kind of farther from the Portal than he'd expected, but it _looked_ like somewhere the Thermos would fit, did he have any other bright notions? Nope. So...

He was careful not to put it in on what he assumed was the wrong end. It went in like a charm. He waited a breath for something to happen, to go awry. Nothing did. He pushed down on 'eject.'

A muffled screaming filled the lab as a squished form which vaguely looked like the Lunch Lady shot through the tubing connected to the slot and disappeared into the Fenton Portal. It didn't go directly _into_ the hexagonal opening, rather a hole in the side of it. Danny didn't know how to describe it. The intruder was banished, just as she should be. That was all that mattered to his mind at the moment. He didn't know what to think about it otherwise. He wondered what was up with him. Yeah, the thing had caused a ruckus and actually tried to _hurt_ people, namely his friends. But why was he so...

So...

Territorial?

He shook his head. Too hard. Why bother.

Danny was about to walk back up the staircase when—

A rumbling coming from _within_ the Portal reached his ears. It was low and resonated in his chest, a particular spot. He didn't have time to ponder that. He was too busy feeling anxiety. Was she coming _back?_ Could he fight her again?! He wasn't sure he could. It didn't sound like machinery. It might have been, anyway, for all he knew about the stuff. Or it could be a monster emerging from the whirling green depths inside that Portal. Why was it _open_ in the first place?

He turned and waited for something, anything.

A minute passed, he was getting impatient. He had an inkling that was a foolish thing to be when he could be in danger, but that didn't erase it. If whatever that was was going to make a scene, do it already!

Just as he thought this, he jumped as giant, clawed blue digits slammed their way onto Earth out of said whirling green depths.

Next came a draconic head, neck, and torso, which heaved with a roar.

"_I WANT TO GO!_ I _have_ to go!"

Danny was still.

What the _hell_ was this?

It was a _dragon_.

It didn't seem to see him, at first—until it looked down and fixated its intense red, cat-slit eyes on him.

He stupidly didn't think fast enough to react when it swiped at him, he expected to feel the sharp claws digging into his body, instead he found himself being lifted up to the dragon's face. He cried out.

"Let me go!"

It was a fairly standard thing to say when being faced with and manhandled by a humongous freaking _dragon_.

He instinctively turned into a mist.

A _mist_.

He didn't know he could do that!

Regardless, being a mist was weird.

No sight. No hearing. No anything, momentarily. And yet, a sense of the surroundings, the energy humming in the walls, the bright flare of the portal, the dragon's paw, and the sensation of flowing, sifting through the cracks in it, the disturbing sensation of a completely malleable form.

A second later he was humanoid once more.

It roared again—its rage obvious—and swiped its claws again and again, in quick succession. He flinched away from every one of them. After about three times it gave up and inhaled. A spew of green fire shot from its mouth, Danny flew to a dark corner to avoid it, thinking he'd go unseen in the darkness but then he remembered he was _glowing_, he lit up that corner of the lab like a lightbulb.

The dragon prepared another spray of flame and Danny responded entirely out of fear.

He flew right up to its face and kicked it with all his strength.

Its head cocked back—he'd put a lot of force in that kick, inhumanly strong.

Its eyes widened in...doubt?

With no explanation there was a metallic sound as Danny glanced down and saw something he hadn't noticed before. A golden necklace around the dragon's neck was cracking visibly and falling off to the ground. Without it, something strange began to happen.

The dragon dissolved, growing smaller and smaller and more humanoid with each passing second. Danny couldn't do anything but watch. The necklace made contact with the lab floor, clinking.

Finally a sniveling, green-skinned, blonde young woman in a blue dress was left in the dragon's place.

Danny couldn't figure out what in the living hell was going on anymore, so he didn't do anything.

"All I wanted..."

The girl's voice was light and quaking.

"...was to go to the princesses' costume ball...and my horrid mummy won't _let meeee...!_"

Her words rose in a harrowing wail with the last two words as she fled, turning tail and flying into the Portal, vanishing into it.

Danny was left alone once more. He slowly floated down, feet landing quietly, a shimmering, bejeweled necklace at his feet. After a moment he picked it up.


	11. PARENTAL BONDING, 2

The necklace glittered in his palm.

What should he do with it?

It was worn by a dragon. A ghost dragon. Did that make it a ghost necklace? It emanated an odd feeling.

Cautiously, he flew out of the lab, not wanting to be there any longer than the had to, the atmosphere felt oppressive after everything which just happened. He stared at the necklace weaving between his fingers the whole time. When he was in the kitchen he transformed back to human and, after a moment, shoved the heavy golden jewelry in his pants pocket. It was a deep pocket and the item disappeared completely from vision. Wondering what his sister thought of the horrendous noise that had come from the basement, he nearly sprinted to the living room, where he'd seen her last.

She was sitting on the couch, headphones over her ears, listening to an audio textbook, most likely on psychology or something along those lines. She wanted to be a psychiatrist and apparently not even a physical battle happening below her feet could stop her ambition. She seemed to sense his presence and looked up at him.

"Oh, hey." She said.

Danny stood there awkwardly. He stumbled past her, mentally reeling from the fact _she didn't know_, going up the staircase to his bedroom. He thought he heard her sigh, akin to how she had earlier when he'd been rude with her.

* * *

Maddie parked the tank-car in the FentonWorks garage.

Getting out the vehicle, Maddie waited for her husband to exit before locking it.

"We're home." She raised her voice slightly once inside the house.

"Hi, Mom!" She heard her daughter answer back from the living room, "Danny's upstairs."

Of course he was. He'd been strangely tight-lipped when she and Jack brought him home the day before and asked them to explain as much about what they'd seen as they could. He glanced off to the side quite a bit while he said things like, "Uh...it was crazy," and, "I didn't see _that_ much," which completely contradicted how he'd been outside precisely in the area where the main commotion occurred, which still unnerved Maddie to think about. She chalked it up to denial of reality. She couldn't blame him. It was one of the handful of logical responses a person could have to something like seeing a ghost for the first time.

"How've you been while we were gone?" She asked.

"We've been alright," Jasmine answered matter-of-factly, "Danny disappeared in the kitchen for a long time. I think we're missing some leftovers."

"I hope he didn't ruin his dinner." Maddie said honestly.

* * *

Bringing the necklace out of his pocket and placing it in his backpack alongside the thermos device, Danny was exhausted. Finding he liked the dark better for some reason, he shut off all the lights in his bedroom. He pushed off his shoes and crawled into bed. Someone would come wake him when it was dinnertime.

Hours later he woke, indeed stirred by his mother who stood in the doorway of his room, "Danny, dinner's ready. You must have been tired."

"Yeah." He said drowsily, "I'll be down."

She went away and almost put on his shoes again, before realizing he didn't really need them. No one would raise a fuss if he went to the kitchen sock-footed. He eyed his backpack before traveling downstairs.

He went a little slowly; strangely hyper-aware of his own heartbeat and...something else. He stopped mid-step.

What was that _feeling?_

That cool pulsation which he'd noticed before...

It was _there._ Stronger than it had been.

He puzzled over it. It was in his chest, almost in the center. A hand came up to press against his torso, where he thought the sensation was originating. He felt his heartbeat, of course. And...

_Whum. Whum. Whum._

Something else.

* * *

Jack settled into his seat. His wife had reheated a meal she'd prepared quickly that morning, knowing they'd be out all day and that she wouldn't have time for cooking something by the time they returned home.

"Jazzy," he said to his daughter, "I noticed you had some audiobooks out when we came home."

"I got them from the library."

"Oh. I thought they were something you'd bought with your allowance."

"I'm trying to save up."

"Good thinking!"

Danny entered the kitchen then, taking his usual place at the dining table. He looked unusually pale.

"You okay there, Danny-boy?"

The dark-haired teen raised his blue eyes to meet his father's gray-blue ones, "I'm—fine."

A bit quick of a response, but it was a response. Sometimes guys didn't like to talk about what was going on in their head. Being married to Maddie Fenton was enough to turn any dumb man into a good one—his Mads was just that great a communicator—Jack knew that personally, but he remembered what young men were like typically, and he didn't ignore the possibility that his own son would probably end up constricted by those urges to keep to himself now and again. It could wait. There was never a bad time for a good old father-son talk. There just needed to be a right time for it.

Jazz said, "So what did you find at the school?"

That caught Danny's attention, who'd been gazing into space.

"Nowhere near as much as we would have liked." Maddie said, "But then, we don't know everything about what we should expect."

The conversation evolved into Jack and Maddie sharing their thoughts about the whole thing and Jazz bringing up intelligent points. As if Jack expected anything less from his bright minded princess.

Danny was silent the whole time.

"What do you think, Danny?" The father directed at his son.

"I don't know!"

The frustration in Daniel's visage and voice was clear. Everyone looked at him.

Danny grimaced at himself.

"Sorry," he amended, "Never mind."

Now Jack was concerned. What was troubling his son this much?

* * *

Danny hadn't meant to snap. He just did. Now, food eaten, sitting at his desk in his room, he swallowed knots in his throat repeatedly. They weren't tears, he wasn't _that_ upset. But, he was kind of...upset. Looking back on everything he'd done, it all felt unnatural to him now. That, coupled with the _thing_ in his chest, he didn't know what to think or feel. What was going on with him?_  
_

"Danny?"

He started at his dad's voice in the entrance to his room.

He turned in his seat, "Hey."

"I just wanted to ask, is something wrong?"

Danny paused.

"No, I just lost it at dinner. I'm sorry." He repeated the apology he'd said.

"Well, people don't just 'lose it' for no reason. If something's bothering you, your mom and I are always here."

Danny couldn't persuade him otherwise. "Okay."

"Thanks for listening to me, son. Another thing, you'll be returning to school tomorrow. They were cleaning up the meat while we were there and we got a phone call from the school."

So soon? "Alright."

Jack left.

* * *

"If _anything_ out-of-the-ordinary at all happens, call us." Maddie had commanded before Danny stepped out the door that morning to catch the bus.

There were considerably fewer people on it than usual. Tucker was there, though, and Danny sat beside him without a word.

Once at campus, the daily announcements revealed something unexpected. The school was holding a dance, freshmen and sophomores only. It was a Sadie Hawkins dance. That boggled Danny. Why would they do something like this so fast after such a shocking event? Were they trying to make them forget? It wasn't happening. However, it did muster some chatting in the students, like everything was coming back to normal. Maybe it was forced, but it was working.

_A dance,_ thought Danny, _Am I going?_

He looked around, for no real reason, it wasn't like he expected the girl he'd end up taking to the dance to be in the same class as him. He caught the eye of Paulina Sanchez by mistake and broke the shared look swiftly.

Paulina Sanchez was the school's most popular girl, though she was only a freshman. That didn't stop her from being the most beautiful girl as well as a talented cheerleader. She worked her way up the social ladder quickly. She'd gone to the same middle school as Danny, though they'd never had the same class. Maybe they'd gone to the same elementary school, too? Danny couldn't remember that far back. Anyway, there was no way he was going to be asked out by _her_, of all people. Keep dreaming, Fenton._  
_


	12. PARENTAL BONDING, 3

When lunchtime rolled around, Danny half-expected Tucker to go around pestering—excuse him, _seducing_—girls to ask him out to the dance, but the way things were lately, Tucker was distracted. One of the first things he said to Danny when they sat down at the same outdoor table with Sam was, "I guess your parents fixed things?"

"They didn't find much to fix," Danny answered, "I put the Lunch Lady in the Portal. Where she was supposed to go. I'm pretty sure that's how she got here in the first place." It made sense the more he thought about it. A ghost portal. A ghost attack. Where else?

"You really went back there?" Sam asked.

Danny looked at her, "Yeah...I mean...it was kind of surreal, sort of, but..."

An awkward beat passed between them.

"Hey, I think Paulina's eyeballing us." Tucker said suddenly.

"You mean you think she's eyeballing _you_." Sam retorted.

Awkwardness avoided.

Danny saw a flicker of real annoyance in Tucker's eyes but the technological whiz's tone didn't convey it, "Well, no one can blame her." Danny hadn't seen Tucker fiddle with his handheld gadgets in a few days. That was a bad sign where Tucker was concerned. At least he was poking at girls for fun again—that was like him.

In curiosity Danny did actually glance back to where Tucker's eyes had been drawn, and indeed saw Paulina Sanchez sitting on the grass, leaning against a tree looking over some schoolwork. She was impeccably dressed as always, the clothing fitting her form well. Danny, an optimistic person except for when he knew for a fact it was hopeless, didn't think about it more than that. He'd overheard some of the stories told about her and didn't want to fool himself. She was a nice enough person unless you got on her bad side, but wasn't everyone like that? Sam seemed to have a personal vendetta against popular girls, as if they were all secretly devils in disguise; Danny didn't understand it, but he tried not to get in the line of fire when it came to girl-versus-girl issues. Sam had her views and Danny had his, simple as that. They were still friends. It wasn't like Sam herself wasn't pretty. It's was just that: they were _friends_. He didn't want to ruin that companionship by asking her out and finding they might not click.

"I think you're seeing things, Tuck'." Danny said.

"I wear _glasses_, I know what I saw."

Danny snorted, "Right..."

Danny watched Tucker's face as his eyebrows went higher and higher and his eyes wider until...there was a light tap on his shoulder.

He turned around.

"Hi, Danny." Greeted Paulina. Her clear teal eyes pierced him.

Danny floundered, "Hi!" He stood up clumsily. Then realized he didn't have to stand up. Great.

She had a Hispanic accent and a melodic lilt, "I wanted to ask, how are you?"

"Me? I-I'm fine," he stuttered, "We've never really talked before," he babbled, "It's nice to meet you."

"I'd say the same," an edge of Paulina's mouth quirked up and whew, did a crooked smile look good on her.

Danny felt something odd around his waist but didn't think about it, he was preoccupied.

He realized with a jolt that she was quickly growing unimpressed. What could she possibly want with him, in the first place?

"Uh, is there something you wanna talk—"

His pants fell down around his ankles.

His head jerked down to gawk at himself. He was wearing red boxers. Everything went completely silent. Then guffawing laughter which sounded suspiciously like Dash Baxter's voice erupted from the other end of the outdoor commons. Others soon followed.

With horror Danny pulled up his trousers. He wasn't wearing a belt. The only explanation.

He jumped when Paulina laughed, as well. However, her next words were oddly placating, "A gentleman usually tips his hat, but I give you points for originality."

Slowly, as Danny was forced to pull his pants ridiculously close to his torso, he tried to smile back.

Footsteps approached and Danny looked to his side to find Sam standing there, "Kudos, Danny, you just set an all-time speed record for drowning in the shallow end of the gene pool."

Paulina looked at her, then at Danny, "Oh, no, you did not just call me _shallow_, did you?"

Sam smirked in that way she never failed to, "If you mean, I could step in a puddle of you and not get my feet wet, then, yeah."

"'Shallow,' I am not shallow!"

Oh man.

Danny was mortified.

To his astonishment, Sam _grabbed_ his arm and tugged him away from Paulina. He stumbled after her, the bell was ringing, he hadn't even finished his lunch, and—aargh!

"Why did you do that?"

Sam scoffed, "Save you from the scorn of a—"

"Sam, _no_," Danny interrupted, "You didn't do anything like that! She wasn't laughing _at_ me! Didn't you hear her? She was _talking_ to me! And you insulted her!"

Whatever she was going to say, he could see the words die in her throat.

"What is it with you and other girls, anyway?"

He marched away and didn't look back to see her face.

He was going back indoors. It was time for classes to resume anyhow. A chance to make friends with Paulina Sanchez and it was ruined.

* * *

A period later Tuck' found Danny in the hallways.

"That sucked for you, dude." Tucker said. Surprisingly he didn't mention Sam.

Rummaging through his locker, Danny scowled, "You don't need to tell me."

"At least now I know the quickest way to a woman's heart...clean boxers."

"Shut up, man."

"Danny!"

Danny turned on his heel.

Paulina. Again. Tucker, sensing his cue, left.

He blinked, "Oh, hi." He said as friendly as he thought was appropriate. She actually wanted to be anywhere near him? Here she was, meandering over.

"Hey." she grinned. Actually grinned, teeth and all. Clean white rows, "I just wanted to—"

"Hey!"

The word was so obviously directed at the two of them, they both looked in its direction. Dash Baxter was coming to them.

"Is this asshole bothering you?"

Danny shook his head. _What?_

Paulina's lips were ajar for a moment before they closed and a certain expression set in her face, "No. You're name's Dash, right? Well, could you please dash away?"

Danny was shocked. Then, he choked on a laugh.

Dash was stricken. Actually, honest-to-god _stricken_. He glared at Danny before retreating.

"Anyway," Paulina continued, "Before that rudeness." She was so flippant. "I wanted to ask you out to the dance."

Danny's world crumbled around him. In a good way. A very, very cool way. He never thought of anything like this.

"Sure! Of course! I'd love to." He burst.

"Great! Well, here's my address, you can pick me up at six thirty." She handed him a slip of paper with her handwriting on it.

"I-I will." He promised.

At that second something fell out of his backpack, which had been unevenly placed in his locker.

The dragon necklace.

Something about it, its shimmering, glamorous aura, drew their attention to it immediately.

"What is _that?_"

Danny searched for something to say, "It's...it's yours, if you want it!"

Oh hell. Why did he say that?

She looked up at him, "Really?"

"Yeah! It's totally all yours."

She grabbed his hand and squeezed, "Thank you so much! This earns you brownie points, you know that, right?" She picked up the necklace carefully. He knew why. It was heavy.

She winked at him and left down the hall. It was only then he realized people were openly staring.

* * *

"With Paulina?"

"Yep."

"With _Paulina?_"

"How many times are you gonna repeat yourself, Tucker?"

Tucker was experiencing all kinds of disbelief, "Well, at least _I_ got a date."

Danny made a _huh_ sound, "With who?"

"Valerie Gray. You know her?"

"Seen her around. Good for you, dude."

"Yeah, but...how are you not freaking out more?"

"She's a nice person. I'm not gonna make a fool out of myself."

"Oh, I getcha. Gotta play it cool."

Danny chuckled, "Sure."

Where was Sam? It was P.E. but she was nowhere to be found. Weird. She loved P.E.

Maybe something came up. Who knew.

He didn't hurt her feelings, did he?

Baxter didn't bother them that class. Good. Danny didn't want to deal with him.

* * *

Danny got home without trouble.

"Hey, Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you." He called out in case they would hear. His mother emerged from the kitchen.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"There's a school dance tomorrow. I have a date." He handed her the address Paulina gave him. "Should I walk there or do you wanna drive us?"

"Oh, my!" Her face brightened, "Of course we'll drive you."

"Awesome." He nodded.

"Though it is strange they're doing that dance." Maddie said.

"I know, right?" Danny agreed.

"I'm happy for you, sweetheart."

"Thanks, Mom. Also, I wanted to ask, can I go to the mall with Tuck' later?"

"I don't see why not."

* * *

Paulina practically pranced through Amity Park Mall. She loved shopping. Her daddy gave her enough money to buy the most complimenting things she could possibly want. It wasn't like they were short on cash, no, her dad had a fantastic job. What was more, she wasn't dateless for the dance. The Fenton boy was cute and all, but she could have done better. That didn't matter, though. She had goals with that boy in mind. She entered a certain store she liked to peruse and almost at once caught sight of something she couldn't bear not to purchase. It was called a fleecy tee; she called it fabulous. There didn't seem to be many left...

"Excuse me," she asked an employee, "Do you have anymore of these in a size small?"

The perky blonde girl frowned sympathetically, "Oh, no, we've run out of those, I'm so sorry."

Paulina was aghast. Her heart was set on this one! It wasn't often that happened.

"When will you have them?"

The lady thought about it honestly, "Sixteen weeks. Again, very sorry. I can help you find something else."

Paulina was so sharply disappointed that something strange began to occur. "Sixteen _weeks?!_" Her voice, already high, reached an unholy pitch and she began to glow unnaturally. The tee in her hand tore in half from the force with which she grasped it. The otherworldly piece of jewelry around her neck shone.


	13. PARENTAL BONDING, 4

Before Danny left for the mall, his father hung up the phone which he'd been talking into and looked at him somberly, "Son."

Danny was confused, "Yeah?"

"That was Mr. Lancer who just called. He said he got a complaint from a boy named Dash Baxter that you were causing trouble at school."

Danny was...there was no word for it, "_What?_ Dad! Dash is a ja—a jerk! _He _bullies _me!_"

Jack replied, "I believe you, Dan," and Danny could tell he did, too, as he gained a steely look in his grayish gaze, "I don't think you're the type to do the things Lancer said you did. Tell me if this 'Dash' does anything more to bother you."

Danny had to restrain his grin. Finally. Something was being done about this, when it should have happened years ago.

"One other thing; Lancer asked your mother and I to chaperone the upcoming dance."

That...was not what Danny expected to hear. "What? Why?"

"We're not the only parents the school's asking to do this. I suppose it's because of what happened."

The ghost attack. Right. The party was sounding more and more like a total buzzkill.

"Okay...I won't have to hang around you guys the whole time, will I?"

Maddie and Jack glance at each other, with amusement, "Of course not, hun," Maddie said, "You'll be busy with your date!"

"Oh, yeah, right." _Phew_.

* * *

Waiting in the mall cafeteria for Tucker to arrive (Danny rode his scooter to the mall) he caught a familiar figure waving at him in his periphery. Sam.

"Hey!" He waved her over in return. She walked up.

"Hi," she said, "Hope I'm not bothering you."

She didn't usually talk like that. She hadn't really looked him in the eye, either.

"Of course not," Danny assured, "Um...are you okay?"

She looked at him, "I'm fine. Thanks for asking," then, sounding uncharacteristically apologetic, said, "Danny? I'm sorry I did that at school earlier, with you and Paulina."

He blinked, "It's...alright."

"I'll apologize to Paulina at the dance, too."

That surprised Danny most. "Good luck." He realized that might sound bad, "Not that she won't forgive you. I'm sure she will."

Something in Sam's face implied she wasn't so convinced, but he had a feeling she was going to try regardless.

"How'd you find me, anyway?"

Sam seemed grateful for the change of subject, "I was in my—parent's car and I asked them to follow you when I spotted you on your scooter."

"Oh. That makes sense. Are they here?"

"No, I asked them to come pick me up in a couple hours."

"Wow. I'm just here to see Tuck'."

"Don't worry, I won't drag you around with me. I just have stuff to do."

Danny nodded.

A few moments later, Tucker arrived.

"Hey! I didn't know Sam would be here."

Danny said, "Me neither. She kind of snuck up on me."

He appreciated the tiny smile Sam gave.

"I've been meaning to ask you something, Danny." Tucker started, "If you have ghost powers now," Danny tried not to wince, he didn't want to think about _that_ right now, "Does that mean you can possess people?"

Danny...actually thought about that, "That's...nuts, Tuck'."

"Hey, if you could possess a girl for _five minutes_..."

Danny, caught off guard, laughed aloud, "You already have a date, dude!"

Sam rolled her eyes.

It was strange that Tucker and Sam could treat his freakishness so normally, but it wasn't unwelcome. Most likely they were holding back their uneasiness for his sake. He ought to thank them sometime...when it wouldn't be weird.

"Yeah, and you wanna know how it happened? Valerie said all the better guys were taken and she was settling for me! Some might call it a rebound, I call it a yes. And the pants are still on."

That just made Danny laugh harder. Sam snorted audibly, good-natured.

"Has anyone asked you to the dance, Sam?" Tucker asked her.

Sam paused, "No, but believe you me, I'm going anyway."

As they were speaking, noise built up in the background, none of them took notice of it, sometimes hubbub just happened in malls, but they couldn't ignore the screaming once it began.

From a certain direction people started running and yelling at the top of their lungs. A hulking monster emerged from around a corner and bellowed.

"What the hell?" Danny breathed the words. As he spoke, the bluish mist left his mouth. The mist that signified a ghost's presence nearby. He could _feel_ it. The _whum_ in his chest intensified.

It couldn't me the dragoness again. It looked...different. It was pink, for one, not blue like the previous dragon. But it was without a doubt a godforsaken dragon.

Fear overcame him. It was stomping toward the food court.

_We should run._

As he thought this, a sharp—interruption—flooded his brain, _No! I should fight! I did it before, I can do it again!_

The sense of defending what was his which had so frightened him in hindsight the night before was back.

He looked into Sam and Tucker's wide eyes.

"I got to go, guys!"

He stood up hastily, running behind an indoor decorative piece of shrubbery. He searched around for anyone who could see him, briefly felt stupid. He knew what he was doing. He hoped.

The rings formed around his midsection and in a flash, the armor, goggles, and hood were back on his body again. He flew upwards. He didn't miss a second charging—if flying could be called charging—face-to-face with the dragoness.

"Say, haven't we met before?" He challenged, amazed at his own gall.

Evidently it wasn't impressed, smacking him with its tail like a whip, sending him crashing through a store window.

_Oh my god, this hurts,_ he groaned, slowly picking himself up. It didn't hurt as much as he thought it would, though. No pieces of glass embedded in his back or anything. _Must be the armor. _He leapt up into the air once again just in time to avoid a burst of green flame aimed his direction. He charged again and the dragon doubled over as he barreled into its exposed belly.

It grabbed him then, to his muffled terror.

It slammed him on the ground, holding him there, and roared, "Must have _TEE!_"

Tea?

What the—

No time to think about that.

Danny phased through the floor, escaping its grasp.

He reared up through the ground again with some serious _momentum_ on his side. He punched the dragon in the jaw. It cried out in pain.

It fell, muzzle falling on top of a dropped bag with some recently bought clothing in it.

It froze.

Sniffed the clothing.

All of a sudden, it was growing smaller.

Danny could only watch.

It shrunk and shrunk until...

Paulina Sanchez?!

* * *

Amulet still around her delicate neck, Paulina stumbled to her dainty feet, amnesiac. "What hit me?"

Something internal told her to look down, and she did. Her fleecy tee! It was right there, at her feet! As if there was some kind of mental block affecting her mind, she didn't even think of logic. She just picked it up. "I guess good things do happen when you maintain a positive attitude." She proclaimed, clueless.

* * *

Danny was aghast.

What should he do? It was obvious the necklace was the cause of all this mess. He'd given it to her! He couldn't just take it back, not without pissing her off!

At a loss, and with nothing left to brawl with, he returned to the same shrubbery and transformed back to his human self.

He ran back to where his friends were still waiting for him.

"I saw everything!" Tucker exclaimed, "You were awesome!"

"Uh..." Danny chose not to respond, "The necklace I gave Paulina turns her into a dragon!" He blurted.

They stared at him like he'd grown a second head.

He realized he hadn't even told them about the first dragon attack.

"This is a long story..."

* * *

After he'd explained everything in detail to the two of them, they were visibly overloaded. They parted ways to go home.

Once at FentonWorks, Danny was about to unlock the front door to enter when it turned out he didn't need to. His sister opened it for him from inside.

"Hey, Danny!"

"Yeah, hi."

She let him in.

"I just wanted you to know, I'm on to your little _secret._" She said suddenly and he tensed.

"What? What secret?"

"I can't believe I didn't figure it out before—you have a girlfriend!"

He spluttered. Then almost laughed. "She is not my girlfriend. We're just going to the dance together."

"You better let her know your family's crazy now, Danny. If you marry her and she finds out later, that's entrapment." She was wry.

The look he gave her just made her smirk wider. He sighed.

Tomorrow. The dance was tomorrow. He should get some rest now.

"Dinner will be ready soon!" His mom called from the kitchen.

After dinner, that was.


	14. PARENTAL BONDING, 5

Danny got out and knocked on the door. A broad-shouldered man answered it.

"Hello." They both said simultaneously, Danny stumbling over the word.

"If you do anything to upset her, we'll be having a serious talk." Said Paulina's father.

Danny didn't respond.

"_Papa!_ You're scaring him!" Paulina appeared on the doorstep. She was radiant, in a pink dress. He couldn't help but think of the pink dragon she had turned into. She was still wearing the amulet. "Come on, Danny. These are your parents? And...your car?"

"Yep," he said, "I know the car kind of looks weird, but..."

"Oh, it's no problem." She reassured. "I've always heard about it."

Like everyone else. He grinned anyhow.

"I-I see you really like that necklace."

She beamed, "I do!"

The ride to the school was actually pleasant. Paulina chatted a little with his mom who was in the driver passenger seat. They seemed to get along well.

_Geez, Fenton, it's like you do plan to marry her,_ he scolded himself.

Once at Casper High, the four of them unloaded. Jasmine was going to the party, too, but she was driving her own car there. He wondered if he'd see her. The gymnasium wasn't that huge.

His mom was wearing a red dress. She looked good in it. His dad was in a tux. For his extra weight, he didn't look bad, either.

They gave their tickets to the people out front, going inside. He could hear music and raised voices. Wow. People were going the nth mile, weren't they?

He couldn't stop staring at Paulina, but not for the obvious reason. They reached the punch bowl, he was pretty much just following her around like a lost puppy dog.

"Hey, Paulina, about that amulet..."

"Isn't it magnificent? I haven't taken it off since you gave it to me."

"Yeah...the thing this, I shouldn't have given to you in the first place, 'cause...it's...my mom's."

Nothing could describe the look on her face. Surprise, disappointment...offense?

"Oh, I see." She said, calmly.

"I'm _really_ sorry."

"I have to go use the restroom, wait for me?" She asked, without really looking at him.

Unsure of what else to say, he said, "Sure."

She went.

Unexpectedly, Sam entered his line of sight, going to the girl's bathroom as well. Was she going to apologize to Paulina _now?_ Oh boy. After what Danny did to the poor girl? She would be lucky if...

Danny clenched his fists.

He'd devastated the whole night.

* * *

"Paulina?" Sam said politely.

"Hmm?" The other girl turned from where she was examining the amulet in the mirror.

"Hi, um," Sam tried to smile, nearly failing, "I just...wanted, to apologize for the way I acted yesterday. It was incredibly rude of me, and I wish for your forgiveness." She was trying, darn it.

"Forget it, sister," Paulina snapped, "I'm not accepting your apology, and I'm not giving up your little boyfriend, either."

"M-my..." Sam couldn't believe her ears. The audacity. The _bitchiness_. This was why Sam didn't work well with other girls. "He is _not_ my boyfriend! Ha, ha. And they say pretty girls can't be funny."

Paulina quirked a finely plucked eyebrow, "He's not?"

"No. Danny is my _best friend_. That was why I was so hard on you. I didn't mean to call you shallow."

"What a bummer..." Paulina glanced away. Then, she looked up, right into Sam's eyes, "I only agreed to go out with him because I thought I was stealing him from you!"

Sam was shocked.

"Here, take this _stupid_ necklace, I don't want it." Paulina shoved it in to Sam's hands. She bumped the Goth's shoulder as she passed and exited the restroom.

Sam stood there, stunned.

Then, the anger overtook her.

How dare Paulina do this? It didn't even matter she shunned Sam herself—but Danny! She was hurting Danny!

"Shallow LITT_LE_ _WITCH!_"

* * *

First, Paulina walked by him without even acknowledging him—that stung, big time—and then, an unearthly shriek sounded from the girl's restroom. His senses went on high alert, along with a strange sixth one. Everybody stopped, looking in the direction of the unpleasant sound. The wall burst in a great crash, revealing the form of a massive purple dragon. Another one! Danny's heart pounded, the _whumming_ thundered throughout his body.

Its violet, violent eyes scoured the terrified students until they locked on Paulina.

It reached one long arm out for her, Paulina fainted.

With an echoing roar it exploded through the ceiling, people _screamed_ as debris fell on their heads. Diving underneath a table, Danny transformed into his ghost form without thinking. He just did it. He didn't know who the dragon was, it wasn't Paulina, but it didn't matter. A person was in danger. It was his fault.

He phased through the table and flew through the opening in the ceiling the dragon had left, trailing it. It was hard to miss. It was transparent enough that Danny thought he could see the moon through its head.

Danny snarled as he rushed into the dragon's side, causing it to fall headlong onto the football field. It held an unconscious Paulina between its claws.

"_Shallow_ little _girl__!_"

That...sounded...like Sam. A warped version of her voice, but still hers.

No way.

How?

It spat fire at him, he turned intangible to avoid it. He swooped up to snatch Paulina from Sam's clutches, she was limp in his arms. Sam roared, smacked Danny with her tail, he and Paulina went flying for the bleachers. They landed unceremoniously on the dirty ground behind them; Danny had turned himself non-physical to avoid hitting them.

A gasp and a curse word made him flinch and look in their direction. Dash Baxter in a gray suit and an Asian girl in a dress stood slack-jawed staring at them. Danny boggled back at them.

Sam tore apart the bleachers to get at them.

Dash and the girl he was with screamed loudly.

Danny didn't want to hurt Sam, if that really was her, but...

He charged, for the last time that night, leaving Paulina behind, at her and yanked at her tail, using all his strength—far, far more than he knew was possible for a human—to throw her across the football field. It was too fast to recover for Danny's liking. Spitting fire and flying right at him, Danny made a beeline towards it in answer. Every blast of virescent flame he avoided.

The taunt came out his mouth before he knew what he was saying, "You throw fire like a _girl!_"

Consumed by rage, the Sam-Dragon roared its longest and most horrible roar yet. He saw his opportunity. Zipping up to it, he grabbed at the amulet around her neck and _pulled._ Its clasp broke with a clink.

The dragon started to shrink, until Sam Manson was left, unmoving, on the grass.

"Sam!" Danny cried, although he knew she couldn't hear him. He lifted her up by an arm. His goggles bumped in to her face as he tried to do so. That frustrated him unreasonably. "Please, wake up!"

She didn't move. He set her down on the ground again, carefully.

He couldn't just _leave_ her there.

He stared helplessly down at her for several long moments, debating what to do, indecisive and panicked. She finally stirred.

"Ugh..."

"Hey, hey," he cautioned, she looked at him, "Do you remember anything?"

"I...don't know," she then said, "I was...so _angry_."

"Yeah, I know. Trust me."

* * *

Scared parents, scared kids and school staff, it was a catastrophe.

Every adult available was herding children out of the school, some were at the point they just didn't care anymore, they simply took their kids home.

"Where is your brother, Jasmine?!" Maddie demanded once she found her daughter.

"I-I don't know!"

"We have to find him."

Jack kept calling out his son's name, searching for his face in the crowds of students. He wasn't the only parent doing this.

* * *

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"_Yes_, Danny, I just want to go home." Sam insisted.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." He was sincere. They walked back inside together. A teacher found them and ushered them to where the rest were gathered. Sam opened her cell phone and dialed. That was when Danny heard his name being called.

"Dad!" He answered, though he couldn't see the man, "I'm over here!"

Such a commotion. It was his mistake. All of it.

"Danny, thank god." Jack huffed, placing a hand on Danny's shoulder as if that would make everything all right.

Danny glanced over his shoulder at Sam, who was turned away and talking into her phone. He and his father joined his mother and sister.

His mother hugged him. "We are going home _this instant_."


	15. ONE OF A KIND, 1

School was suspended. They called in FentonWorks, again. Once more, nothing more than residual ectoplasma could be found. It was all over the news.

* * *

The school was being rebuilt, but it was back in session. Honestly, Danny was amazed the school wasn't being shut down. Must be some kind of external factor. Or something. He didn't know. All he knew was that he was in English first period.

Mr. Lancer slapped a ruler on his desk.

"You are to do a report on an animal. Pick any."

"Are you serious?!" Someone shouted from the middle row.

"I know some of you might be wary of returning to school after what happened at the dance," Lancer said, "And I don't blame you one bit. However, you _are_ back at school, so you will be doing work."

Students were openly glaring at him. Danny was in too much disbelief to be one of them.

"If you don't finish it today, it will be homework, to be turned in tomorrow."

* * *

A rat nibbled on some crumbs. It scurried away when a clattering sounded, as an invisible form crashed into a stack of boxes in the empty warehouse. Cries of disorientation rang out.

Danny phased through the wall, peering semi-curiously at his opponent, who wasn't much of an opponent. Teeth bared, hands in fists, he listened to the offending ghost's apparent mantra, "Beware! I am the Box Ghost, I have power over all containers cardboard and square!"

Danny crossed his arms over his chest. "Can we get this over with, I got a test to study for."

The Box Ghost seemed perplexed for a second. He pointed a stubby finger in Danny's direction, "'Study'? There will be no time to _study,_ when you find yourself crushed underneath the weight of the forgotten possessions of—" he checked the address on one of the boxes which he was lifting via telekinesis, "_Elliot Kravitz_, of Arlington Heights, Illinois!" He grinned wickedly, levitating all the boxes at a dangerous speed toward Danny, who merely turned intangible, letting them go right through him and hit the wall behind.

"I don't have _time_ for this. Sam, Tucker, let's go!"

The boy and girl emerged from around a corner where they'd been hiding in wait. Tucker had the Fenton Thermos, which Danny had given him to show him how to use it. After telling them about the first dragon attack Tuck' had expressed a desire to accompany Danny on whatever ghost fighting escapades he was going to have. Sam wanted to help him. Danny was hesitant to include them, but so far, it had been going well. After Sam had been possessed by the ghost dragon amulet—which Danny had sucked back into the Fenton Portal—she had been shaken but even more determined to be involved. It baffled Danny. They were putting themselves in real danger...for him?

What was _he_ doing? Ghost hunting? He wasn't the sharpest pen in the box, either.

Tucker uncorked the Thermos and pointed it at the Box Ghost. It worked like a charm. Danny grabbed the Box Ghost by the straps of his overalls and hauled him in to the line of fire.

"_Noooo_—!" Danny was reminded of the Lunch Lady's defeat as the self-titled Box Ghost was sealed away.

"Perimeter secure." Said Tucker proudly.

"'Perimeter secure'? What are you, a Navy Seal?" Sam mocked.

"Guys, you don't know what could be watching us," Danny interrupted them, he had a feeling he wasn't one to reprimand them, but he felt he needed to say something, "If you're gonna be superhero sidekicks, or whatever Tuck' thinks you are, you're gonna have to be a little more focused—_don't drop that!_"

Too late. Tucker, who'd been twirling the Thermos carelessly, did indeed drop it, it clanged on the floor noisily. To Danny's horror, the _eject_ button had been pressed, and out flew numerous ghosts, mostly green blobs, which they'd been tracking down all night. It was before nine at night, but it would be well past twelve midnight before they caught them all again.

"Ha, ha!" Cried the newly freed Box Ghost, "I am the Box Ghost! You cannot hold me within the confines of a _cylindrical _container!" He fled through the wall.

Danny held his head in his hands.

"Dude," Tucker was speechless, "I'm so sorry."

Danny inhaled and exhaled. Counted to ten. There was no way they were getting those ghosts back where they belonged tonight.

* * *

A skulking figure watched through a glass window from a distance, in the same warehouse.

"Half-human, half-ghost." Whispered the figure. "He'll make a fine addition to my collection."

A cage sat behind him, overflowing with rare ghostly specimens.

The Box Ghost materialized—

"Touch that box and I'll have your pelt adorned on my wall."

Box frowned. "Beware!" And disappeared.

* * *

Maddie, Jack, and Danny sat at the dining table in the kitchen. Danny just wanted company after what happened earlier.

"What's that you're working on, Mom?" Danny inquired.

Maddie looked up from the device she was manipulating. "Oh, this is supposed to translate the sounds a ghost makes into recognizable concepts."

"In English, maybe?"

"It's a thing that translates what ghosts are 'saying,' quote unquote."

"Oh. Cool."

It seemed to him that the ghosts he'd met were perfectly capable of speaking plain English, but, hey. What did he know?

Jazz bounced into the room, "Oh my gosh! They said 'yes'!"

Everyone looked at her in surprise.

"Who said 'yes'?" Danny asked, "The person you asked if you were a conceited snob?" He added.

Jack coughed.

"_No_," Jazz emphasized, "_Genius Magazine_ said yes, they got my letter, and wanna put Mom on the cover!"

Everyone's eyes went very wide.

"What?" Madeline said, "Jasmine, you never told me you sent a letter!"

"I wanted it to be a surprise!"

"Well, you've certainly surprised me!" Maddie sighed, "I'd love to, honey, but your father and I are a team. If I'm going to be featured in a magazine, I want it to be with my husband. Behind every genius woman is a genius man."

Jazz deflated.

"Yeah!" Said Jack in his orotund voice, "The world needs to know that the Fentons are a family of geniuses!"

* * *

_I got a D?!_

Danny was resigned. His test hadn't gone well. He hadn't had the time to study at all. If this were a month ago, before the portal accident, he'd have aced it for sure.

The next day had a handful more students attending than the first day back had.

Danny fiddled with his pencil absentmindedly. One flip, _should I tell my parents,_ another flip, _should I not tell my parents..._

He was hungry. Again. Dumb. Why hadn't he eaten breakfast?

_The rare purple back gorilla..._He kept writing. He didn't get all that far. He should have completed it at home the night before. It irked him to have uncompleted homework. He'd always been stellar at finishing it in the past. It was no use: Lancer beckoned everyone's work to the front of the desk rows where he could collect them stack by stack. Danny passed his up like everybody else.

The purple back gorilla, or rather the silver gorilla, was actually Sam's idea to use in his report. He had to remember to thank her for that on top of everything else she was doing for him.

About twenty minutes in to Lancer looking over the papers while students conversed among themselves Danny heard his name called.

"Mr. Fenton," said Mr. Lancer, "Come to my desk."

Danny wondered what he'd done wrong. Obviously he'd done something. He got out of his seat and walked over to the teacher.

Lancer indicated Danny's paper which he held in his hand, "What is this?" He flapped the paper once.

"...My report?"

"It's gibberish." Lancer said, handing the boy the work.

Danny squinted at his homework, expecting to see plain English, but all he found was incomprehensible.

_The rare purple back gorilla is a misnomer for the senet asaus nolmasce mamayum mas etats soh chus, gnol a cekdi hodnery toh edilig aur nuood meeturef streabe. Lamef sovel aveh she tlic dael yebh eht elmma. Seh sih apabacap soh uming irvs ahl ermnt gurind lora cekia Yek mahc sevlary enit tor eht elmma anh derne scambh ruh..._

He was confounded. What the hell was this? It was in his handwriting. He didn't write this!

The longer he stared at it the more he thought he could _understand_ it.

_Food hungry confusion frightened don't-know anything but why, maybe if someone told me anything nobody to answer lost alone. Stupid trespassers they don't get any my sympathy. Box was attacking but removed don't want have fight anymore please I hate everything this-is mine and sympathy is weak wait no..._

"I..."

"I don't know why you look so confused," Lancer shook his head, "You wrote this."

"I _didn't!_" Danny said with a little more force than intended.

Lancer looked at him, "If you say so. It doesn't matter to me whatever is on that page. Just rewrite it."

* * *

The repercussions of disrespecting a popular girl were painful. Paulina's stint with Danny made him the target of much pointed looks and knowing smirks, especially from footballers. No one had confronted him yet, and he hoped it stayed that way. He didn't have time for it. He needed to get through the school day so that he could go out hunting those ghosts down again in the evening. He told his parents he was spending time with his friends until it was time to come home before curfew. They believed him, why shouldn't they? He wasn't the perfect picture of responsibility, but he was trusted. He wondered how much longer that would last. With any luck, things wouldn't change so much and it would stay the same.

When the last school bell of the day rang, he rushed to the bus area and loaded it, finding Tucker already there. "You ready for tonight?"

"Yes," Tucker said, "I won't make that mistake again, man."

"I know you won't. And, just...thanks. For helping me."

"Hey, no problem."

They were close, genuine moments between the two of them weren't uncommon. Danny thought he saw some guys glancing at them mockingly, but he ignored them. They probably thought they were gay or something. Whatever. Jerks were jerks. Not worth the time and effort.

Danny had the Thermos this time. Once they stopped at Danny's drop-off, they walked to the Nasty Burger to wait for Sam's arrival. They were talking about which streets they should travel when she appeared through the doors, decked out in steel-toed combat boots like usual, but there was something different about her stride. Out of the two of Danny's friends she was the most unwavering so far in wanting to help her friend. He was impressed by her. Not that he didn't appreciate Tuck' as well.

"Hey." She greeted.

"Great, so we're all here," Danny stood up from his seat, "Wanna start now?"

"Sure." Tucker said.

"I've got no problem with that." Sam echoed.

* * *

"They might still be around the warehouses." Danny thought aloud.

"Good idea." Said Sam, for good measure, none of them really knew what they were doing, but they'd caught the ghosts before, hadn't they? It had really been a stroke of luck. Danny's ghost sense had went off and he followed the feeling of ghosts nearby, in turn, Sam and Tuck' followed him. He felt none of that now.

Hours passed, the sun was beginning to set, and they were growing bored.

"Uh..."

Sam and Danny looked at Tucker.

"This isn't really...productive, is it?"

Danny hid a scowl. "I guess not." He wasn't mad at _them_, of course not. Just...it dug at him on an uncanny level to find nothing.


	16. ONE OF A KIND, 2

"Maybe we should just head home?" Tucker suggested.

"Yeah..." Danny trailed off. The mist formed in his throat and he coughed it out.

He started when Sam cried out, "Oh my gosh!"

He swiveled on his heel to see what she was upset about.

The first thing he saw were black boots, then his eyes moved higher and higher up. A metallic, glowing entity with a green fiery mohawk stared down at them.

Danny paled.

"I meant to catch you by surprise," said the robot-thing, "But the look on your face is worth it."

"What—" Sam began to stutter, the ghost shot out a glob of ectoplasm from a gun on its arm to silence her. His aim was insane. It landed exactly over her mouth. She gave a muffled yell and tried in vain to pull it off.

"Sam!" Danny shouted. He rushed to her but didn't know how to help her. The stuff was like glue.

"I am Skulker, the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter!" Introduced the ghost, "Now, for the Ghost Child..."

The way Skulker's intent seemed to be focused on Danny—Danny didn't know how he knew, he could just _tell_—set the pulsating in his chest in icy flame.

"How dare you touch my friend!" Danny howled. The outrage came instinctually.

Skulker seemed to smile invitingly.

"I'm goin' ghost!"

Where did that come from?

It didn't matter. He transformed in a flash, and—

Skulker cast a net over him.

Tucker, who'd been silent, sputtered, "Dude!"

Danny struggled to break free from the net. "Augh!"

Skulker gingerly picked him up, completely ignoring Sam and Tucker. "Easy catch." He spied the PDA Tucker had dropped on the ground in his fright. "And a trinket, too." He grabbed at the item, barely missing Tucker, who jumped back. He peered at the PDA for a brief moment and then seemed to install it on his arm, which had been giving off small sparks of electricity the whole time.

Something about that ignited Danny. With an extra burst of strength he tore at the netting, creating a hole.

"What?!" Skulker was taken aback.

Danny flew through the opening as fast as he could. A cold adrenaline raced through him.

"Hm. More promising a hunt than I'd thought, it would seem."

Danny scoffed. The fearlessness was acting up again.

Skulker's iris-less, pupil-less viridian eyes narrowed.

This was all in the middle of the street. Danny wished someone would see and call 911. He had a feeling he wasn't that fortunate.

"I—"

The spot on his arm where he'd installed Tucker's PDA suddenly beeped.

Skulker looked at it in surprise.

Then, something in his demeanor changed.

"I must go to dinner." He said in a monotone voice.

_What?_

A jet-pack, winged-like thing—damn if Danny knew what they were—popped out of his back and before Danny knew it Skulker was being propelled through the sky.

He was gone.

_What just happened?_ All three of them thought, confused beyond belief. Sam had finally managed to claw off the goo from around her mouth.

"I am going _home_." Tucker said with finality. Reminded of the first ghost attack with the octopuses, Danny let him go. Tucker seemed to be pinballing back and forth between thinking this was all awesome and being terrified. Danny felt sorry for him.

He looked at Sam.

"I..." She tried. "Will you get home safe?"

Why was she so concerned for him? He was touched.

"I'll be fine. I think you need to go home, too." He told her.

She nodded.

* * *

The interviewing journalist, Connie, arrived before Danny got home. Jack watched his boy march upstairs presumably to his bedroom without a word. He turned his attention back to his wife.

"A few more questions, Maddie: can you tell our readers what you're working on now?"

"Connie, my primary focus these days is ectology."

"The study of ectoplasmic entities? Such as poltergeists?"

"Yes." Maddie confirmed. Jack could tell from a certain look in her eye that she didn't find this Connie lady all that bright, but she, of course, was Maddie Fenton nee O'Dwyer, and she kept those kinds of thoughts to herself. "Though 'poltergeist' is a common term."

"What is the scientific term?"

Maddie paused, Jack had to stifle a laugh at the brief look on her face, easy to miss if he hadn't been married to her for so long, "Ectoplasmic entity."

"Oh." Connie was contrite.

* * *

When dinnertime came around Danny was itching to tell his parents what happened, but something in the back of his mind kept him from doing so. It just didn't seem wise, while at the same time seeming like common sense. He was conflicted. "How did the interview go?"

"Her name was Connie. She was an idiot—"

"Jack, don't be rude!" Maddie stopped her husband, but she didn't really seem to mean it. "She probably just skimmed over whatever information she could find about me."

"She's a journalist, she should do better than that."

"Yes, well...anyway, here are your plates."

Danny took his respectfully, "'Kay...when's the photoshoot?"

"Next week."

"Cool."

* * *

The next day at school was pure hell.

Tucker and Danny walked through the front doors of Casper High...

And everything was fine until Danny had to use the restroom in the middle of second period.

Alone in the hallways, he yelped when green glowing chains were flung at him out of nowhere. Seemingly of their own volition, they coiled around him like a snake.

Skulker materialized out of thin air, "I have you now, Child! I—"

The PDA on his arm beeped again.

"I—I must attend class." He flew away, phasing through the walls.

What in the _flying_ hell? No pun intended—alright, yes, pun completely intended. Danny was going a little nuts.

The coiling chains fell to the ground listlessly. Danny left them there as they dissolved and powered on back to class.

At lunch, Sam pressured him into eating something. Who was she, his mother? But for some reason her concern wasn't unwelcome. They sat near the destroyed bleachers, despite warnings from school staff not to go near them. No one was around.

It was utterly unexpected when a blue net was thrown apparently from _above_ at him. It latched onto his face. He cried out and it moved to his neck, choking him.

"Danny!" Sam screamed.

The voice came from behind them, "Now, boy, once again, I, Skulker, shall—"

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Danny watched as it happened again.

"Shall...attend fourth period?" It was almost phrased as a question.

"Alright, what the _hell_ is going on here?" Daniel demanded of no one.

"My PDA!" Tucker said suddenly.

"What?"

"He stole my PDA! And now he's following my schedule!"

"Tucker, that's insane."

"I swear! It's the same exact schedule I have on my other PDA!"

Danny actually considered it.

The collar-thing around his neck vanished.

* * *

Once P.E. started, things grew more vicious.

Danny hid in the locker room with Tucker. Tucker never struck Danny as a protective person. It would seem he was wrong.

Skulker ambushed them in the gym lockers.

He physically _grabbed_ Danny and _squeezed_ him.

"Let go of him!" Tucker yelled.

Skulker spat, "You! You and that girl will pay for your interference!" He prepared an ectoplasmic blast in one hand, "_I SHALL—_" Beep. "—Attend last period class."

He dropped Danny who thumped on the floor hard.

It was indeed last period.

Everybody was gathering their things, bags, notebooks, purses, Danny didn't move. His purple backpack lay rumpled by his feet under his chair. His shoulders slouched inward, blinking exhaustion blearily out of his darkly ringed eyes. His arms were crossed over the tabletop, a little too defensively to be approachable. Usually a girl whose name he didn't remember smiled at him politely when he sat down across from her, today she sat somewhere else. He knew why.

He stunk. He looked unkempt. He was quickly sinking down the social hierarchy as a freak, a guy with too many issues to bother associating with. It made sense, if you thought about it: nobody had anything to lose if he was an outcast. Danny's thoughts immediately darkened. No one, except for his only two friends. His fall from grace was affecting them as well.

It wasn't just his social life throwing the three of them off course.

The last bell of the day rang, freeing them all. Some kids said goodbye to the teacher, a middle-aged woman who was pretty cool and fairly liked. In the past Danny might have nodded to her, his seat was close enough to her desk that she would see it. He didn't. He waited for the classroom to empty before he stood, grabbing his stuff, not bothering to sling the straps over his shoulders. He carried it at his side, it was light. His textbooks and supplies were in his locker.

He had no intention of retrieving them; his homework was in his backpack and he had pencils to write with at home. No big deal. He had a lot of catching up to do...The hallway, despite the crowd, was refreshing compared to the classroom. Sweat marred the hem of his t-shirt, a result of his physical activity throughout the morning. Screaming. Being stalked.

Danny's frown twisted as he walked, laced with pain. Skulker's fingers left digit-shaped bruises on his sides, he checked. His legs moved one in front of the other stiffly, fingers clenched in fists by his side. He hated this. He couldn't begin to imagine how Sam and Tucker felt. He wouldn't have the chance to say 'have a good evening' to them this time, he didn't even run into either of them in the halls. He doubted they wanted to see him, anyway.

Why would they? He dumped countless heap after lump of problems onto them, he was surprised they still dealt with him like they did. He put their lives in danger. He'd never forgive himself for that. The sides of his skull were beginning to throb in a headache. His thick eyebrows knit together, creating creases in his forehead as he weaved through the throngs of teenagers.

* * *

He got a call from his mom on his cell.

"Danny? Your father and I won't be home when you get there. We have grocery shopping to do."

"Alright. Where'll Jazz be?"

"At the library, I believe."

"Okay."

They hung up.

He went home. Jazz wasn't there. Went upstairs. Opened his bedroom door. He breathed blue fog.

Skulker appeared in the doorway. He leaned down to say, "Hello, Ghost Child."

A net shot out from the palm of his hand and it instantaneously wrapped around Danny. "A human-ghost child in its natural habitat."

"Who _are_ you?!" Danny quaked.

"I thought I already introduced myself. I am Skulker, the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter. A collector of things rare and unique. And you, Ghost Child, are that, and more!" He laughed. No, cackled. "Pity, though, I hoped you'd put up more of a fight."

Danny's jaw clenched.

"Don't worry. I _will!_" He transformed to ghost form and phased through the net. Why hadn't he thought of this before?! It didn't make a difference now.

He punched at Skulker's chest, who thudded against the bedroom wall. Skulker growled. Danny almost thought, in _approval_.

The battle was brutish. Danny hit wherever he could find an opening and Skulker smacked him around a few times, soundly.

Eventually they tumbled into the hallway.

"Come, Ghost Boy. Time to see your new home."

He grabbed Danny by the armor of his chest and materialized through the floor, then the ceiling, down and down until they crashed against the tiles of the FentonWorks laboratory.

"W-what are you _doing?_"

Skulker's grin was wide, "Bringing you back to my world, where I can put you on display."

"_What?_"

Skulker pressed a button on the Portal (how did he know how to operate it?!) and it opened, the swirling, circular green waves manifesting inside the hexagonal machinery.

"Ha! At last, time to put you in your cage."

Danny screamed, "_No!_"

Beep.

Skulker glanced down at his arm.

Through the green filtering of the goggles around his eyes, he saw his chance. He kicked Skulker in the chin, sending him like a rock to the ground. Danny must have kicked harder than he thought, because Skulker's _head came off._

Disgusted, Danny stared. Until he heard a tiny voice.

"No! I am the Skulker! _The Skulker!_ Do you hear me?! Fear me!"

Little legs squirmed, sticking out of Skulker's neck.

Danny couldn't help himself. He walked forward cautiously.

Then, he yanked the legs out of the dysfunctional head. He held it the tiny 'person' upside down.

Rage-filled miniscule red eyes glared at him.

"I am the greatest hunter in all of Ghost World! You will all fear me!" It made fisty hands as if that was supposed to intimidate Danny. He was sharply reminded of the _Wizard of Oz_, where the Wizard was actually just a man behind a curtain. Skulker was just a tiny ghost in a monstrous robotic suit.

Good thing the Thermos was on his armor's belt. He'd placed it there and it stayed, it wasn't there in human form. Huh.

He sucked the teeny fella into the Thermos without much quarreling. Though, there were threats.

"You haven't seen the last of me! I will capture you all! You shall all be mine, mine, do you hear?!" Danny could only assume he was talking about his friends, too. Had to keep that in mind.

And Skulker was in.

Danny applied the Thermos to the Portal ejector and _whoosh_.

He felt satisfied. And exhausted. He flew back up to his bedroom and slept. He'd tell Sam and Tucker about what happened later.


	17. ATTACK OF THE KILLER GARAGE SALE, 1

"Danny!" Jazz said as she walked into FentonWorks, front door clicking shut behind her. Danny was sitting on the couch, hunched over, staring at his hands, "I—are you okay?"

He raised his head. "I'm fine." A strange note was in his tone.

She eyed him, "Are Mom and Dad home yet?"

"No." He answered honestly.

"Well, I'm going to be tutoring Dash Baxter here at home tomorrow, just wanted to let you know. We set it up today."

He was flabbergasted. Dash? In his house?

"I know how you must feel. I know he bullies you."

"Then why—"

"I plan to change that. He just needs a stern talking-to. Especially from _me_. Your sister. Nobody pushes around my little brother and gets away with it." Danny actually thought he could hear a hard edge. She was being…cool. Of course, that meant she had to ruin it a second later, "You can be there with me and we can talk it over like adults."

"_Yek irvs ahl aur tel rewsa _Dash."

Jazz stopped unloading her bag, looking at him with obvious confusion, "What?"

The sentence had been out of mouth before he realized what he was saying. "I-I said, I don't want to be near Dash, so no thanks."

"Well…alright. It's your decision."

No, really? He suppressed a sigh.

She went upstairs.

He was going insane. Babbling in gibberish every other comma. He didn't know what was wrong with him.

* * *

The next day came, a Saturday, and Danny avoided the kitchen like the plague. Dash and Jasmine were in there, the few times he did have to pass it by, he did _not_ look in there. Instead, he flew invisibly past his sister and his bully, through the lab entrance door, phased through the glass window separating the lab from the rest of the house, and froze when he saw his father at work. He didn't make a sound. To his complete surprise, his dad _opened_ the Portal and...sucked ectoplasm from it? With a vacuum-like device?

Danny watched in fascination. Was that what the Portal was for? Gathering ambient ectoplasm? Well, it did a lot more than _that..._but how could he tell them without them asking how he knew? A wisp left his mouth and he gulped, a rapidly familiar chill traveling down his spinal chord.

His dad finished his business and left the lab. Danny stayed put, turning tangible and visible. He could use his power so easily now. He wondered when that happened

Without further waiting time, a ghost exited the Portal. A shinny, green-skinned one, wearing black glasses and big white hair with silvery streaks in it. Despite the glasses, the way the ghost's eyes locked on Danny was unmistakable.

"Child! You have freed me! Technus, Ghost Master of Science and Electrical Technology!" The ghost raised its hands in a great show.

"O-oh no you don't!" Danny transformed into his ghostly form, charging full speed at Technus.

"Well, this is unexpected!" Technus said, with the most non-malicious emotion Danny had ever seen in a ghost so far. "But no matter!" He picked up a stray cord from the ground and whipped Danny with it, electrocuting him with his own ectoplasm at the same time. Danny grunted at the pain. He backed away once it ceased. Now, that? That was familiar.

_You know what,_ thought Danny angrily, _there's already one stranger in my house, and that's enough for one day!_

He dove for the vacuum device his father had been using and flipped the on switch, aiming for Technus.

Technus's glasses shook and Danny saw a glimpse of shocked red eyes.

The device did its job.

It almost looked...painful. Danny shuddered when it was over.

He floated down till his feet hit the ground. Peace and quiet. Good. He transformed to human once more and left the vacuum where it was, unsure what to do with it now.

He phased through the observation room, walked up the stairs and was relieved to find no one in the kitchen. Dash and Jazz must have left. Didn't his dad know who Dash was? Why didn't he say anything? Resolving to ask him later, Danny decided to lounge in his bedroom the rest of the day.

That was, until Tucker called.

Danny answered his cell, "Hello? Tuck'?"

"Who else?"

"Good point. Hey. How are you?"

"I'm good, but..."

"But?"

"Is that ghost still chasing you?"

"No. I got rid of him. Long story."

"Sounds like it. Would you want to join Sam and me at the Nasty Burger?"

"Sure, why not."

* * *

Once there, Danny explained everything that happened which they missed. He was distracted near the end, however. Dash was at the fast food restaurant as well, handing out passes to his party. Sure as hell, Danny wasn't going to _that_.

He was surprised when Dash met his gaze and held it.

Danny blinked repeatedly. _Uh..._

And then Dash _walked over._

"Fenton. Your sister convinced me to invite you to my party. It's formal dress. Here." He held out a pass.

Danny was...there was no description.

"T-thanks!" He took it.

"Whatever." Dash humphed. That was a bad sign. But at the very least, his sister pulled through with what she said she'd do. Sort of.

"Holy crap!" Exclaimed Tucker quietly when Dash was gone.

"Wow. I'd thank your sister if I were you." Sam said.

"Trust me, I will." Danny assured her.

* * *

Danny went upstairs and in the doorway of his sister's room, where she sat on the edge of her bed reading a book.

"Jazz! What did you _do?_"

"What, are you unhappy?"

"_No_. This is awesome!" He wanted to hug her, but that would be awkward, "Thanks!"

She smiled brilliantly. "You're welcome, little brother. I'm going too, did you know that?"

"Oh. No. Well. I hope you have fun." He was in a good mood.

"By the way, we're having a garage sale tomorrow."

"We are? Since when?"

"Since Dad announced it while you were gone."

"Huh..."

* * *

Down below, Technus was accumulating power.

* * *

Formal dress, Dash had said. Danny wore his suit again.

"Lookin' snazzy." Said Tucker as they met outside FentonWorks, where the garage sale was being held.

"Thanks, Tuck', what're you doing here?"

"My dad wanted to see if he could buy anything from you."

"Oh. Cool." Come to think of it, Danny thought he recognized the man in a vest looking through the boxes of stuff a little ways away.

"I hope I'll find something, as well." Said their first period teacher, Mr. Lancer's voice from beside them.

They both started.

"Mr. Lancer! What're _you_ doing here?"

"I just _said_. I've been looking at this comb for a minute now." He held up the item spoken of.

"Don't you need hair for that?" Tucker jibed.

Lancer looked at him. "Good one, Mr. Foley, I'll remember that." He walked to another part of the sale.

Danny huffed a short laugh.

"The party's not till six," he said to Tucker, "So I still got time to mess around. What do you want to do?"

"I dunno, I don't wanna ruin your suit."

"I'll be fine," Danny insisted, "Seriously."

"Didn't Sam say at the Nasty Burger that she wanted to invite us over to her place sometime?"

Danny scrounged his memory, "She did."

"Wanna go there?"

"Sure. You call her, or me?"

"I can."

"Alright." Danny listened to Tucker talking into the phone and smiled when he hung up. From the sounds of it, it went well.

"She said she'll pick us up."

"You mean her parents will pick us up?"

"No, she said very specifically _she_ would."

"Well...it doesn't matter." He sat down on a lawn chair and gestured to the empty one next to him. "Make yourself comfortable, dude."

"With pleasure!"


	18. ATTACK OF THE KILLER GARAGE SALE, 2

Simply sitting there and breathing, Danny stared up at the clouds, scattered across the blueness of the sky. It was one ghost after another. Why _didn't_ he tell his parents? Why didn't he at least ask them to tell him more about ghosts? As territorial as he became, when that state of mind wore off there was nothing more he wanted than to return to a normal life. But the more he thought about it, it was his fault the Portal was open in the first place. He'd activated it, hadn't he? By stepping in it.

_Have some logic,_ said a voice in the back of his brain, _It was probably gonna turn on eventually anyway._

That didn't change the fact—that—he was _responsible_ for not letting people get hurt because of these ghosts. And the 'going ghost' thing. Well, it made sense. He was transforming into a ghost. For some reason he felt he needed a battle cry. All the other ghosts did.

But _he_ wasn't _actually_ a ghost. He was a human. A kid.

"You okay?"

Danny glanced at his friend. "I'm good. Just thinking."

"If you say so."

Ah, Tucker. He knew Danny well.

Both of them looked up in surprise as a sleek black limousine rolled up to the curb directly in front of the house and stopped. Their surprise turned to wonder as a chauffeur exited the vehicle and opened the door to the passenger compartment before turning to speak to them, "Misters Fenton and Foley, your ride is here."

Naturally, Tucker and Danny sat there awe-stricken, until, a familiar female voice emanated from within, Sam, saying, "Come on, losers, we haven't got all day." The black-dyed head Danny had known for going on three years poked out of the limousine.

"Whoa." Danny said.

"You said it, man." Tucker agreed.

Casting a semi-wary glance at the chauffeur (and then feeling foolish for it), they both walked up to Sam whose feet stuck out the door. "Hey! Um. _What_ the_ heck?_" Tucker said at once.

She raised a brow. "Is there a problem?" She teased.

"No! No problem at all. Except you have a _limo_."

"And you never told us." Danny added.

"This is a one-time thing, right?" Tucker sounded as if the question was rhetorical.

"Nope," Sam disagreed, "This is my family's limo. We're kind of rich. Are you gonna get in, or not? I have cool stuff to show you."

* * *

Sam shut off her Gothic metal music as they settled in. The only sound they heard was, well, them. The limo was insulated. Having never been in one, Danny didn't know if this was normal or not. Tucker and Danny were full of questions during the short ride to a part of town they'd never been in before.

"So...like, _what?_" Tucker asked first.

Sam rolled her eyes, very much like her, "My grandfather was an inventor. My parents leech off of his leftover money."

Danny thought that was kind of harsh, but didn't comment.

Tucker continued, "So it's your dad's?"

"Why the curiosity? And who says it's my dad's?"

"Okay, your mom then. I'm just asking 'cause...'cause!"

"No, it's my dad's. Though my mom has cash, too. I guess."

"Then why did you...?"

"You can't always assume it's the man making the money, Foley."

Tucker groaned. He walked right into that one.

"What are you gonna show us?" Danny inquired.

Sam uncrossed her arms from her chest, "The built-in home theater, the sculpture room, the...you should see your faces." She was sly. "After everything that's happened I just figured you guys ought to know more about me."

"I'd kinda like to know why you'd keep this a secret." Danny said honestly.

"I want people to like me for me, not because I'm wealthy."

Oh. That made sense.

Tucker didn't seem to see it the way Danny did. "Are you nuts? Think of the fame you could have around school! You'd be an A-Lister for sure!"

"Who said I wanted to be one of those jerks?" Sam flipped her hair behind her ear disdainfully.

Danny could sort of see her point, even though he would be attending a party with said jerks later that evening. "It's her life, Tuck'."

Tucker feigned despair, "I'm surrounded by crazy people!"

The limo finally stopped in front of a gate. Once inside the gate, the engine was put out smoothly. Sam stepped out first, Tucker second, Danny last.

Sam lived in a _mansion_. It was a bright white, completely contrasting the black Sam never failed to wear. It was quite posh looking...also contrasting her.

No one escorted them to the front steps. The boys just followed the girl's lead. Danny tried not to gawk at the finely trimmed foliage decorating the lawn. Was that a greenhouse over there? He squinted. It seemed like one. Hey, maybe it belonged to Sam. She was a big plant person.

Sam brought a key out of her small skull-patterned purse. "This is gonna sound stupid, but don't touch anything I don't say you can, my mom would have a fit."

Danny nodded politely. He was entering someone else's house. He got the impression Sam didn't invite people over often; what she just said was common sense.

The big door opened without a creak, unlike the front doors of Danny and Tucker's houses. Both had distinct noises when being opened and Danny knew them both by heart. Sam's place was alien. _Where's the doormat?_ He wondered, but Sam stepped in without scraping her shoes on anything, so he assumed it was alright. Different home, different rules.

"Cool." He commented, feeling bland, for the sake of saying something.

Sam smiled but it didn't seem happy. "Yep. This is where I live. You guys must love it."

"You bet I do!" Tuck' said.

"Of course you do, Tuck'," Danny laughed, "You think you have someone to mooch off of now."

Caught, Tucker looked at him a little wide-eyed. "I would never."

"Yeah, you're right," Sam interrupted them, "Because I wouldn't lend you anything anyway." She paused. "Unless you really needed it, I guess."

Danny was surprised. She looked a little unsure when she said that, glancing off to one side.

"Like I'd ask for something from you." Tucker half-grumbled.

Danny asked, "Uh...so what do you want to do, Sam?"

"Wanna see a movie? I can get all the new ones. Or an old one. Whichever."

"Sure." Danny agreed immediately, honestly, he'd do whatever _she_ wanted, it was her own house.

Tucker was right to the point, "The _Doomed_ movie?"

"That's not out yet."

"Aww."

"And it sucks."

"Hey!"

* * *

They spent the day watching films and talking until conversation led to Sam saying, "Look, if this is too much for you, we can do something else."

"Are you _kidding?_" Tucker exclaimed. "This is great."

"Yeah, Sam." Danny added, "I dunno what you're worried about." Maybe that was a bit much, but she was taken aback by what he said, not badly. Catching himself staring at her, he glanced at the clock on the wall of the home theater room. "Oh, heck. It's almost five. I need to the get ready for the party." He was already in a suit, which he'd been careful not to ruin with the snacks Sam provided them.

"Oh, yeah," Sam said, almost sounding embarrassed, "I forgot about that. Sorry."

Why was she being so apologetic?

"It's okay." He said. "Today was really fun. Thanks for inviting us over."

"You're welcome."

* * *

The chauffeur drove them back to FentonWorks.

"I hope you have a nice time there." Sam bid him farewell.

Danny grinned at her, "Thanks, Sam." He was excited. She rolled up her window.

The limo drove away, leaving the two boys alone.

"Well, I'm going home." Tucker told him.

"See ya, dude." Danny replied.

Inside his house, he was greeted at once by his smiling mother. "Danny! You're sister's already left."

"This early?"

"She said she wanted to get some tutoring done before it started."

"Oh."

She looked him over carefully, "Are you sure you want to go in a suit?"

He was confused, "I'm supposed to. That's what the theme of the party is. The guy holding it told me so."

"If you say so. You look handsome, though let me fix your hair."

He sighed, some things never changed, "'Kay."

He hadn't seen his sister all day. She'd been locked up in her room talking to her friends and deciding what to wear. She'd never even seen him in his suit aside from the one time while they were getting ready for the school dance.

* * *

Danny knew the streets pretty well and got to Dash's place by himself on his scooter. There were bikes and even a motorcycle out front already when he got there, he just put his scooter with the rest of them and hoped it wouldn't be stolen. Risks had to be taken when it came to not being seen as a freak anymore.

He knocked on the door. Dash, it seemed, saw fit to answer it personally, or maybe he did that for everyone. The expression on his face was strange, and then Danny realized he was dressed casually even though music was coming from the inside of his house.

"Um..."

"Oh, hey, Fenton," Dash said, "I guess you didn't get the memo. We switched from formal to casual." He didn't say anything else, turning around and going back inside.

Danny stood dumbly upon the doorstep.

He'd been played like a violin.


	19. ATTACK OF THE KILLER GARAGE SALE, 3

The FentonWorks laboratory was eerily silent and shadowy, and it stayed that way for several minutes longer before a vicious clanging broke out. A Fenton invention, closely resembling a metallic vacuum cleaner, loud yet muffled noises clanking from within, moved from side to side as if something inside of it were making an uproar. The riot stopped momentarily, as if in frustration, then presumed even more vivaciously than before. It was with a sudden great upheaval the vacuum cleaner exploded, parts flying everywhere, as the ghost known as Nicolai Technus broke free of his confines.

He looked around wildly, resettling his square tinted glasses over his eyes.

That child had locked him away, but not forever. No one could defeat Technus forever. It was simply impossible. He looked closer at his surroundings. Glorious technology. Everywhere. Yes…this would do. He gathered up as much as he could find—he certainly wasn't staying in this hovel. He needed to be out _there_, in the streets of the town, where all the people were…and show them the splendor of Nicolai Technus!

* * *

The building was crowded with people. They chatted with one another, walking to and fro, getting drinks from coolers or grabbing chip bags and stuffing their fingers in them. Danny, numbly, walked around inside aimlessly. People stared at him. It was a last straw when he found Paulina Sanchez standing in the midst of the crowd, she didn't bother being discreet with what she thought. She seemed awkward, as anyone would be after their last encounter at the school dance; then, she was confused. The emotions in her face were so obvious the attendees she was nearest followed her gaze and ogled him as well.

Kwan Do, Dash's crony. Wesley Weston, basketballer and member of the school newspaper crew. Starr Skye, Paulina's best friend. It seemed like everyone Danny knew and didn't know was there.

Danny couldn't take it anymore. He turned around and made a beeline for the still-open front door, exiting the Baxter home hastily. He didn't want to be there. The fact that his sister was in there somewhere struck him. He should tell her what Dash had done. But, then, that would ruin her evening, and Danny felt a touch of guilt. He'd been…almost jerkish to her, lately, she didn't need this on top of everything else. She worked so hard, she needed a chance to do something fun. He wasn't going to ruin that. Then, a different, darker thought came upon him.

_She went to the party early to 'tutor' Dash some more. Do you really think that was what she was doing with him? You know Dash likes her._ Snidely whispered a voice from nowhere. That was disgusting. No. She couldn't be…he'd die inside if he ever found out she and Dash were a thing. He bet Dash hadn't led her on to believe the party was formally themed. How stupid had Danny been to go along with that, anyway? What kind of teenager had parties with formal dress? God. He was such a moron. Pathetic. He deserved to be harassed like he was.

His scooter's motor buzzed as he drove down the mostly empty streets. It was getting dark out, fairly nighttime already, and—

What…was that?

Danny stopped his scooter.

A swirling mass of technological objects, car parts, computers, remote controls, washing machines, and the like, looked like a whirlpool of chaos in the middle of Gaste Street, far too close to Danny's house for comfort. He could see FentonWorks' sign not too far off. A nasally voice rang out: "Yes...it is time! Come to me my minions," _minions_ was pronounced _min-ee-ens_, "It is time to fulfill my destiny! _Ha-ha-ha, ha-hah!_" Crackling electricity sparked here and there and Danny flinched away from it instinctively. He realized the parts were gradually coming together to form...something.

It had legs and arms. It reminded him of a Transformer robot.

"I am Technus! Master of all things mechanical! And when I am done constructing, you will _all_ succumb to my awesome pow—pow—er—" The hands came up to hold the sides of a 'head' as if in distress, "What is wrong with me?!"

Danny was stunned, he knew that voice. It was a distinct one and hard not to. How'd he get out? Danny thought he was done with him. He stammered out, in a shout, "No!"

Red electrical optics clicked onto him. "You!"

Was he really that recognizable?

"Yeah!" He answered, with unanticipated temper, "Me!"

He transformed, right then and there, flying high up above the black-and-green robot and smashing down upon it with the soles of his boots. Technus's new form crumpled in half, the human in Danny thought it looked painful, but on the other hand, that was kind of the point. He was smacked away soundly by an oversized hand, more of a punch, really, it created a crack in his goggles. He fell against the pavement.

"You are a formidable opponent—_but__—_a little _wet_ behind the ears. Perhaps you could a little...drying off?" The center of Technus' suit opened like a clothes dryer, a cord coming out from it ending in a claw-like grasp, which was too fast for Danny to avoid in time, dazed as he was. It wrenched him closer and closer to Technus until he was _inside the dryer_, inside of _Technus_, he whirled around again and again, knocking his head what seemed like numerous times until it seemed inevitable he would be getting a serious headache. He was blasted out of the dryer without warning, landing head-first on a parked car.

* * *

Samantha Manson noticed her hair dryer coming alive before it noticed her gawking.

She cried out as it lunged for her, she slammed the bathroom door closed before it could reach her. A ghost! There was a ghost in her house?!

Sam didn't know what to do. She had to find Danny!

She brought out her cell phone, glancing at her bedroom window when she thought she caught movement in her periphery. She wasn't wrong. Shutting her cell, she left it on her bed. She left her room, sprinted down the spiraling staircase, and out the back door of her mansion, and stumbled to a stop. Electronics were flying through the air.

* * *

Tucker followed his father up the staircase. His mom was yelling and screaming up in the master bedroom.

"Honey, are you okay?!" His father demanded, opening the room door and both he and his son were shocked to find her backed up in a corner by a livid green-glowing computer.

Tucker sucked in a harsh breath. Danny. Only Danny could stop this.

Or so he thought—he seemed to forget his father owned a shotgun, which his father used.

That didn't change the fact he needed to tell Danny.

He looked out his bedroom window after sneaking away from his parents, his dad comforting his mother. Tucker felt bad, but...there were flying objects all going in a straight line down the street. There was no way Danny wasn't involved with this somehow. Tucker was afraid, but he had a duty to help his friend.

He ran to the closet where the circuit box of the house was, flipped the switch, and all the power in the house went off.

He rushed outside and into the night. He followed the stolen, possessed items.

* * *

It was at some point Tucker and Sam came across each other. It was unavoidable.

Tucker was the first to speak, "Sam! What're you doing here?"

"What're _you?_"

She was right, of course.

"Everything's...gravitating somewhere," Sam said, "But where?"

Tucker tried to think of something intelligent to say in response, but found he was too scared. This was bigger than anything they'd done before.

They raced together and eventually found themselves on Gaste Street, where Danny lived.

A scream tore into the air and they both jumped in fright. Sam stood stock still as the sound of a crash hit her eardrums, then there was Danny, or—ghost-Danny—in his black-white armor suit and hood, glowing faintly and _flying right at them_.

She stared and he went past her, over her head, plastering against the brick alley wall behind them with a winded grunt.

He staggered to his feet. His knees gave out. Sam couldn't see his eyes through the goggles, but he froze, registering their presence. He was slack-jawed.

Loud footfall cut off whatever any of them were going to say. From between two buildings emerged a monstrous robot. "I am Technus, Master of Technology and Destroyer of Worlds! Behold, my awesome electronic fury!" With no pretense Technus threw in, leaning in closer to the three of them, "_Who's your daddy?_"

Danny snapped himself out of it. He flew, charging at Technus again. He slammed into his chest. It had no effect. He pummeled his fists repeatedly on the same spot. It did nothing. Technus raised an arm and slapped Danny downwards as if brushing away a mosquito. Sam and Tucker gasped and winced in sympathy as he hit the ground before them.

With no other alternative, Danny called to his friends, "Help!"

Tucker tensed. What could _he_ do? Oh, god, Danny was going to die—he watched in amazement as Danny picked himself up again and didn't give up. He kept charging over and over at Technus only to be hurt again and again. Tucker didn't know how he could do it.

"Thermos!" Danny all but screamed. "In my backpack!" He gestured down at his abandoned scooter. He'd brought his backpack along with him to the party filled with snacks and drinks...but also the thermos. He thought he could contribute to Dash's party. It might have been dumb of him, but it was turning out to have been a good idea now.

Sam moved first, but Tucker, influenced by adrenaline, was faster. He reached Danny's scooter and zipped open his backpack in a flash. Indeed, the thermos was in it, he would make certain he didn't drop it this time.

Danny saw a loose wire in Technus' suit and dove for it. He just barely dodged another fist, grabbing an iron hold of the wire and shoving it in Technus' chest like a razor with preternatural strength.

"Wait!" Shrieked Technus, "That doesn't go there!"

He short-circuited, steam pouring out of every crevice of the suit, which went lifeless, bending over at the waist, arms hanging loose, head bowed.

Danny eyed it, mistrusting. After all he'd gone through, it couldn't be that easy. It wasn't. To his alarm, a finger was still twitching.

"Tucker! Give me the thermos!"

Tucker stumbled forward to toss Danny the requested device, Danny caught it deftly, his concentration heightened by his own panic. Screaming _'noooo'_ overdramatically seemed to be a trend amongst ghosts, because that was what Technus did as he was sucked into the thermos, just as Skulker, the Box Ghost, and the Lunch Lady, as well as other various, nameless ghosts had done before him.

Danny huffed laughter through his nose a little hysterically.

The suit fell apart, creating immense clamor as the individual parts lost their glow and became the electronic things they were before.


	20. SPLITTING IMAGES, 1

Tucker shifted between his bed sheets. Returning home after the ghost fight had been hell. Getting there was easy, if shaky from his own aftershocks of adrenaline; it was stepping through the front door and being confronted by his angry parents that was horrible. He would be watched with hawk eyes for the next month or so. He hadn't known what to tell them about his absence. His father demanded an explanation that made any sense at all, Tucker had none that didn't involve giving away his best friend's secret. In sheer frustration his dad banged his fists on the table and said he'd better have an answer by morning. He wouldn't have one.

* * *

Sam's parents hadn't even noticed she was gone. They'd been at a party a little ways out of town. They hadn't been affected by what Technus had done. She was lucky. The servants however had taken note of her absence, and while they seemed to assume that she was out of the house being rebellious like she often was, she had a feeling they'd be telling her parents with a different tone of voice than the usual. After all, one of the butler's hands had gone numb because of electrocution via television remote control.

* * *

Tiffany Snow, anchor of Amity Park News, said, "At about seven p.m. last night frightened residents called the police station with some extremely bizarre reports; technology coming alive? Now we go to Lance Thunder in the field."

Lance Thunder, action reporter of the Amity Park news crew, began, "I'm on Gaste Street and things are truly bizarre here. This is what we've got so far, Tiffany: we rolled up, jumped out and got ready to film, because the first thing we saw when we turned on to the street was a man running down the street being chased by a lawnmower! Then, the next thing we know, our cameraman lost control of his camera."

"'Lost control'?"

"It started attacking the cameraman! I'm not lying to you, Tiffany! It tried to bite his ear off, the only reason it didn't is because he was wearing his headphones."

Maddie and Jack watched all this with rapt attention on their T.V. screen.

"It happened on _our_ street," Jack said, "How did we not notice?"

"I don't know," Maddie answered honestly, "But it's not going to go unnoticed again." She turned to him, "We need to explain to people what's going on before they panic and jump to conclusions."

"Should we contact the news station?"

"I was thinking that, too." But the question was, would they listen to them? Ectology was barely known by the public. They were professionals. Surely, their opinion and knowledge of the situation would matter.

It was the morning after the fact. Jasmine came home the night before in tears of fear because the party she'd attended had been ruined by aggressive ectoplasm-infused objects. They'd all been afraid for Danny, who appeared on the doorstep last. He said he'd been tricked by Dash, the host of the party, into thinking the dress code was formal. Jazz had been furious. She'd gone in simple yet pretty attire.

If she'd known Dash would do this she'd never would have gone. Maddie was more concerned about where he'd been, though this Dash boy irked her. He said he'd just wandered around on his scooter. Maddie didn't have any reason not to believe him. He obviously hadn't seen any ecto-activity. He'd seemed out of sorts and conked out on the couch for the rest of the evening and early hours. Maddie considered them all fortunate. It could have been worse than it was.

* * *

When Danny went back to school again, everyone was abuzz about what had happened at Dash's party and around town. Everything electronic had come _alive_, and then suddenly dropped as if someone turned off a light switch. A vindictive part of Danny wished he'd been there to see the look on Dash's face. He put Technus back into the ecto-dimension that very same night.

Danny glanced at the slip of paper in his hand. It had the number and combination for his new locker. The entire row of lockers had to be removed so that the plumbing behind them could be worked on. So, all the kids including Danny in that row had to be assigned new lockers. It wasn't a big deal. Danny's new locker number was seven hundred twenty four. His friends followed him there.

"What are your parents doing?" Sam asked to incite conversation.

"They're busy," answered Danny, "Doing their jobs, I guess. Didn't you see the news? They've been trying to talk to the news station since. They know more about what's going on than anyone else." _Even us,_ he thought. The last time he'd seen them they were investigating the masses of junk lying around on their street.

"By the way," Tucker brought up, "Your new locker's haunted." Danny couldn't help but notice Tucker's eyes were shadowed, but the other boy sounded light regardless.

Danny was a little too tired to be playing these games, but he went with it anyway, "What?"

"Locker seven hundred twenty four. It used to be the locker of a kid who killed himself a long time ago. They say it's haunted."

"Who says?"

Tucker shrugged. "People. I'll shut up about it now."

Danny didn't like to hear him talk like that, "You brought it up because of the stuff happening lately. If you think there's a ghost in there, let me tell you, dude, I would have felt it by now," he said.

His friend leaned against the wall of lockers, absorbing that piece of information. "If you say so. Anyway…admit it, dude, you're kind of like a superhero these days. I've seen you fight, and you sure seem like a hero to me."

"Thanks...?" Danny wasn't sure how to respond. His best friend just called him a hero.

Tucker looked away, "You're welcome. And a superhero's gotta have an alias, right? What's yours?"

"I'm not really a superhero, Tuck'. Besides, I'm not creative enough…"

"But I am! And I think your name should be Phantom! It rhymes with Fenton."

Danny blinked, "Danny _Phantom_? Yeah, right, like people aren't gonna figure out who I am immediately."

"Not _Danny_ Phantom, just Phantom. The first one would be kind of cheesy."

"Okay…I don't really plan on advertising myself, but it works." Danny wanted to believe in something that made more sense than what was actually going on. And, if it would make Tucker a little happier, why not?

"I'm...organizing a campaign," Sam said.

Sometimes when Sam said things like that were other people could hear, she got eye rolls. The hall they were in was rapidly emptying. They really ought to get to class...but communication, in Danny's opinion, was more important, if they were going to keep a secret.

"Another one? You haven't done one of those for awhile." Danny responded.

"Yeah. It's against the frog dissection in our biology classes. I'll be doing a speech on it tomorrow. I got the school's permission through petitions."

Of course it was about animals' rights. Sam was an avid animal lover. The petitions were probably all signed by her fellow Gothics and ultra-recyclo vegetarians. The two appeared to overlap more often than Danny expected. She must have done it some time back; if he recalled, she'd been given a month to prepare, she'd told them last time she mentioned it. A month ago. He felt a little guilty. He was the reason she'd been distracted lately.

"Nice." Danny unlocked his locker and jumped a little too distinctly at the face staring back at him. It was his own. There was a mirror on the inside. Weird. It must have belonged to a girl before. He shuffled through his stuff and found he didn't really have anything to put in the locker right now. To his chagrin, he'd left some of his homework at home in complete forgetfulness. "You got your Goth friends helping you?"

"They aren't really..." Sam paused, "Well, yes. I had to do my best to convince some people to do the right thing, but it worked out."

Right. Tucker had his geek buddies who he sometimes hung out with, but Sam didn't really seem to have anything more than acquaintances outside of Danny. He wondered if he should count Tucker when it came to her. She'd invited him over to her place along with Danny, but they still fought sometimes. They were the only two people who knew about Danny's freakiness. He guessed the only thing he should be concerned about was the fact they were _his_ best friends.

Sam also tended to use phrases like _the right thing _and talk about morality when, if Danny thought about it, it was really her ideas alone of what those things were. Tucker was the opposite, he let people do as they pleased so long as they weren't hurting anyone (though he didn't do much if they _were_ unless it involved him) but Sam had a lot of triggers. She was quick to correct someone on something she perceived as wrong. Tucker did that when they mispronounced the name of a new PDA or MP3 player, and that was all.

Danny? He wasn't sure. He didn't know himself all that well...he saw a lot of injustice pulled on other kids lower on the food chain in school than most and hadn't done anything about it. Sam always glared holes in the back of the bullies' heads. Tucker looked away with an uncomfortable expression. Danny supposed a constant reaction to witnessing something bad going on was a feeling of burning in his chest. It was a hopeless flame. He was powerless...or, maybe he wasn't. He could walk through walls now, he realized with a jolt. He could...do what? Having unnatural abilities didn't necessarily mean he was automatically inclined to use them.

Except that was exactly what he'd been doing, almost with an animalistic drive, this past month. The absolute _need_ to get rid of all those damned ghosts, the strange near-pleasure he felt when he sucked them into the thermos and back to their dimension, the unreasonable sense of superiority and bemusement at the Box Ghost's persistence. It was like he was a whole other person at times. But that couldn't be right. It was all him...wasn't it? This wasn't some stupid film where the main character guy suddenly found himself with a split personality. The fear of Skulker had been real. The dulled yet definite pain Danny experienced when being beaten down by Technus had been doubtlessly real. What next?

"I AM THE BOX GHOST!"

Oh, great.

"AND I _WILL_ HAVE MY CORRUGATED CARDBOARD VENGEANCE!"

Where did _he_ come from?!


	21. SPLITTING IMAGES, 2

Danny transformed—there wasn't really any flashiness about it, he just did it without a second thought—thankful that the hallway they were in was lacking of witnesses—that really was weirdly convenient. They all jumped—yes, even the Box Ghost—when a loud bell rang, and Danny remembered that everyone was supposed to be attending an assembly (something about the havoc that had been wreaked on their school lately, he couldn't blame the staff for wanting to say something about to the student body as a whole) that day. Floating above the ground high enough to be on eye-level with Box, Danny glanced back at his friends.

"You guys go to the assembly," he said, "I'll get this moron!" They took his suggestion, turning around and presumably heading for the auditorium in a near-sprinting gait. For a split second he marveled at his own steeliness. Then again, he'd dealt with Box many times before now and he knew the guy—ghost?—didn't have much bite behind his bark, and, geez, did he bark a lot for such a loser. Danny didn't often call others losers, but Box was a ghost, he didn't count, right?

What Danny had only barely noticed was that Box had brought a bunch of boxes with him, hovering in the air behind him, he definitely noted their presence when their contents were flung at him. It was silverware. Meaning, knives. Danny cringed backwards and went intangible upon his back hitting a row of lockers. The knives were thrown with so much force some of them actually stuck in the metal of the lockers. Danny stared at them warily for maybe a moment too long.

The Box Ghost rammed into him bodily with enough momentum to send Danny's semi-transparent body rocketing through numerous walls and rooms, till finally he landed somewhere he didn't recognize immediately. He was too busy unwillingly changing back to human form. _Crap!_ He thought, freezing in position, lying painfully on his back. Box hadn't wasted any time following him, materializing through the wall in front of Danny while exclaiming, "Tremble before the might of the Box Ghost!"

There were boxes in the room they were in, Danny noted with mild dismay. They were lifted up with green ectoplasmic energy. Danny prepared for pain, anything, but all that happened next was a bunch of…clothing…being dumped on him. He sputtered, buried underneath piles of costumes. Muffled by the cloth around him, he heard cackling, then, "Beware!" Nothing else.

Struggling to free himself, there was suddenly the sound of shuffling fabric…

He dug through the props, head popping free, just in time to see curtains being pulled open. He absolutely froze. At a loss, completely drawing blanks, he merely waited for them to come apart all the way, revealing seats upon seats of his peers, as well as Principal Ishiyama and Vice Principal Lancer on the stage with him; when the openly goggling gazes of the students before them became too hard to ignore, they looked behind them and joined in on the gawking.

There was a girly hat resting crookedly on Danny's head, on top of everything.

"What the hell?" Said one kid.

"That's Fenton!" Spoke another.

* * *

The second time Danny had ever been in Lancer's office, and it was because he was in trouble again.

"I don't know how you got in there without anyone noticing," Lancer said, "But you _will_ tell me how, and why."

"I…" Danny couldn't think of anything, "I…don't know."

Lancer scoffed, "You 'don't know' how you got onto a stage? What, did you do this for attention?"

The question was so bald it made Danny bristle. "No!"

"Then, do tell."

This wasn't going to go in his favor.

* * *

Danny trudged to his next period class in a foul mood. Lancer hadn't believed a word he said. Danny barely believed a word he himself said. Lancer hadn't mentioned calling Danny's parents, but the boy was sure that was what was going to happen. He didn't look forward to that. People looked at him without even trying to hide it as he passed them by. He went to his locker, grabbing the stuff he'd need out of it. He didn't expect the sudden sense of multiple presences behind him creeping up slowly. He blinked and turned around.

Dash Baxter and several others who were obviously on the football team, telling from their Lettermans, were standing there, blocking all directions so Danny couldn't possibly pass them by. It was rather surreal. Didn't this sort of thing only happen in cartoons? But, here they were, oozing superiority. He kept a neutral face on.

"Uh…?"

Dash didn't deign to speak. One of the other boys did it for him, "What the _fuck _was that earlier, Fenton?"

"An accident," Danny blurted. _I got lost?_ It sounded feeble even to him.

A snort, "Yeah, right."

"Look," Danny said, an old flare of temper igniting, "It doesn't matter."

The same boy who'd spoken first marched forward until they were practically chest-to-chest, "Don't fuckin' talk to me that way!"

Danny was surprised they were going this far, it brought back unpleasant memories of when he was in middle school. "What is your _deal?_"

A strong shove sent Danny smacking against his own locker, "I don't like your tone, asshole!" Danny was flabbergasted. Beaten by the Box Ghost, of all humiliating things, and now he had to deal with this? Foulmouthed pigs. There was no way Danny would let them make him feel like a lesser person like they had years ago.

Dash was watching it all, smiling like a jerkass.

"You'll have to deal with it," Danny spat.

To his extreme shock, one of the boys reached out with no warning, _grabbed him by the back of his neck_, and threw him to the floor. It wasn't very hard to do. Danny's strength in ghost form was useless right now. He hit the ground with a grunt, eyes wide.

"He's not worth it," Dash commandeered, the others looked at him, stopping respectfully. _Respectfully_. Danny was floored, and not just literally. "If he acts up again, he knows what'll happen." The three boys nodded, and then they all just _walked away_, like nothing important had just happened.

Everyone was watching, but no one stepped forward to ask Danny if he was okay. They turned away. He lay on the ground, stunned, waiting for something to happen that would make sense. Nothing did. He got to his feet after a long moment.

Was this what he was now in everybody's eyes? A piece of shit, not worth the time of day?

Something pulsed coldly inside his locker, which he closed with numb fingers. He didn't notice it.

_"__Bullies…"_

* * *

Once he got home, his parents were sitting at the dining table in the kitchen discussing something. They stopped once he entered the room. Jazz was also there, nose in a book. Danny waited for them to scrutinize him, to ask him what he'd thought he was doing earlier that day during school, but it never came.

"Hey, there, Danno," Jack said, "Your mom and I want to tell you something."

"Okay?"

"We'll be investigating your school during class hours tomorrow," Maddie clarified.

Danny wasn't sure how to feel. His parents, staking out Casper High? Where everyone would see them, know who they were?

"What?!" They all looked at Jasmine. She leapt up from her chair and moved to Danny's side, placing a hand on his shoulder, "No! You can't! Danny is at a very critical stage in the development of his peer groups, he's already considered a…" Foot in mouth. She seemed to realize what she was saying. It wasn't too hard to figure out. Huh, she was showing cognizance of her own words for once.

"Nice," Danny grumbled.

"Wait, wait," Maddie backtracked, "Considered a what? Danny, has anyone been bullying you?"

Danny paused.

"I'm sure someone has been," Jasmine said, "The way I hear them talking—"

"Jasmine, let your brother speak!" Maddie snapped.

"Uh…" Danny sighed, "Yeah."

"What's happened, son?" Jack was concerned.

"Some guys cornered me today and kinda shoved me to the ground," he explained, reliving the experience even as he said it, "That guy I told you about, Dad, was one of them."

"They _shoved_ you, to the _ground?_" Jack repeated, as if he was trying to wrap his mind around the concept.

"Yeah."

"That's it," his father growled, "When we go there tomorrow, I'm talking to this Lancer V.P.," one of Jack's hands formed a fist, "And we're settling this."

Danny thought that would probably only make it worse, but there was no changing it now.

* * *

The next day at school Danny saw that he wasn't the only bullied kid in Casper.

An overweight band member was being harassed by two of Dash's teammates, Danny found a different route to his class in order to avoid them. What could he do? His parents were already in the school someplace and most likely trying to get a hold of Lancer. Who knew, maybe it would fix things. He doubted it.

Unbeknownst to him, after the two jocks were done messing with the poor band kid, one of them walked by Danny's locker. It opened by itself and slammed him in the face, closing itself again neatly as the guy cursed and generally freaked out.

At lunch, Danny sat with Sam and Tucker.

"I'm glad your parents are taking action, Danny," Sam said, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to tell them to screw off."

Danny shrugged, "You didn't have to, even if you were there."

"You're my friend! Of course I would have."

Danny wanted to smile, but just couldn't.

Tucker asked, "Dude, remember what I said about possessing people?"

Danny raised his eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"Try it. Get revenge. You deserve it."

Danny processed that. He dwelled on it for multiple moments. There'd been a dark feeling in his gut ever since the incident yesterday. For once, the thrumming in his chest had nothing to do with it.

Without notifying his friends he was doing anything at all, he turned intangible and invisible. He slunk over to where Dash's table was, across the commons from where Danny and his ilk sat. He wasn't at all shaken by the fact Paulina was sitting there as well. After her stint with Danny at the dance, she'd taken to getting closer to the school footballers. It was impossible not to know; everyone talked about it. She'd famously chased Dash away in front of everyone for Danny and now she was shunning the latter and being friendly with the former.

Danny wondered how to do this.

He was intangible, wasn't he? So he should be able to just…step into Dash's body from behind…

And just like that, he was taller than he remembered. His arm was making a gesture he hadn't been before. Except it wasn't _his_ arm. It was thicker, and clad in a Letterman jacket sleeve. He was Dash Baxter…but…he wasn't. His other hand held Dash's tray of food.

"Bro? What's up?" Someone inquired, gruffly.

He must have looked strange. Correction: _Dash_ looked strange.

…Good.

It was Danny's intention to spill the food on Dash's tray over the quarterback's head, but his limbs felt far too alien and they shook and wobbled as he raised the tray. Panicking slightly, Danny gave up and watched in astonishment as it went flying for Paulina, landing on her in a mess. She hadn't had time to dodge. She shrieked in horror, her eyes meeting his—Dash's—in outrage and disbelief.

Dash's body jerked backwards twice as Danny tried his best to flee, escaping the mortal confines like a, well, specter.

He rushed back to where Sam and Tucker were, and found them slack-jawed.

"Oh my gosh," Sam burst at last, it hit Danny dimly that she was Jewish and didn't like to take God's name in vain, "Was that _you?_"

"It was," he confirmed.

"That was amazing!" Tucker was ecstatic, quietly, though, so as not to attract unwanted attention. "What'd it feel like?!"

Danny, pointedly ignoring the scene in the other end of the commons which was surely happening, although he thought he could hear Paulina's indignation even from this distance, thought about that question, "It felt like—not being you. Y'know what I mean?"

Tucker nodded readily, "I think so. Your powers are so _cool_."

Danny…grinned.

"Are you sure…" Sam trailed off.

Danny turned to her, "Sure of what?"

"That you should be using them like that?"

Danny cocked his head, "Well…it's not like it didn't need to happen."

"Yeah, Sam," Tucker crowed, again, not too loudly—Paulina was storming out of the commons, oh boy, "It's about time that asshat looked bad."

Sam didn't say anything else.

* * *

About an hour later Danny was called to go to the vice principal's office. He could only guess this had to do with his parents and what they said they'd do.

"Sit down, Danny," Lancer bid him, calling him by his first name for the first time since Danny'd met him. To Danny's chagrin, Dash was already there. He'd been hoping he'd have his parents there, but evidently they were nowhere to be seen.

"Normally I would have called both your parents here, but seeing as Mr. and Mrs. Fenton are scoping the school," Lancer went on, "I'll talk to you both myself."

Danny did not look at Dash.

"I understand that the two of you do not get along," Lancer began, "Therefore, this is my only piece of advice: avoid each other, or face the consequences."

He was talking like Danny was intentionally causing trouble, too. He was flummoxed at first. Then, he seethed.

"I don't think I need to explain it further. You are dismissed."

Dash stood up immediately and left. Danny was left incredulous.

"You can't be serious…"

Was Lancer _glaring_ at him? "I am, Mr. Fenton. Now, please leave. I have things to attend to."

Danny shook his head and walked out, turning over his luck in his mind and wondering why his life had turned into the disorder it had.

* * *

He drifted as an invisible ghost through the hallways near the end of the school day. He couldn't bear the looks others gave him so he'd opted so just avoid being seen altogether. It was to his total alarm when he got near his locker he saw Dash nearby, at his own locker. Danny hadn't even noticed they were close locker-neighbors. He stayed still, unseen and silent. His thoughts began to burn. He hated Dash. He really, truthfully, without a doubt did. He hated his cronies, he hated that he was hailed as a worthier person in general by everyone when he didn't deserve it, he…

He was going to do something about it.

He flew down the hall and was halfway to Dash when something happened.

Danny's idea had been to sneak up on Dash and spook him, kind of tame compared to what he _really_ wanted to do, but he didn't get the chance before he saw a figure emerging from…

His…

Locker?

He watched in consternation as the grayscale, glasses-wearing boy that crawled intangibly out of locker seven hundred twenty four whispered in wonder, "I'm free?"

"What in the _flying_ hell?" Dash shouted.

Danny still wasn't visible, but the ghost of Sydney Poindexter was. That's who this ghost had to be, because Danny's breath was misting like it always did when an ecto-entity was near, and Tucker had told him his locker was haunted. Apparently, he'd been right.

Just feeling this ghost's aura was enough to set Danny off, he solidified himself and was grateful he was in ghost form, his hood and goggles concealing his identity—Sam had pointed out that when he wasn't wearing them, he wasn't that hard to recognize, green eyes, white hair or not—as he barricaded himself between Sydney and the rest of the kids around, who were one by one looking to find out what had caused Baxter to yell.

He felt an indescribable protectiveness. He thought it extended to his friends and family only, but as his eyes, behind the goggles, roved over the crowds of students, he realized he wasn't doing this just because the _feeling inside_ told him to. He was doing this because it made sense. Ghosts only made nuisances of themselves from what he'd seen so far. If he didn't intervene it could get bad.

"You're a _bully_, aren't you?" The ghost accused.

That caught Danny off guard. "What?"

"Don't try to deny it, _buster!_"

Danny didn't know how to respond.

The confusion of everyone around was palpable.

"Let's see how _you_ like getting bullied!" Sydney raised his arms and they glowed green. The lockers—all of them—began to shake and rattle.

People started to scream.


	22. SPLITTING IMAGES, 3

As far as Maddie had been told when speaking to the principal of Casper High a couple days before, there had been an assembly at some point where Ishiyama and Lancer personally explained to the student body what ecto-entities were, why she and her husband would be scouting the school in a few days' time, and what they should expect to possibly see during that period. It shouldn't have been hard to understand, even for teenagers.

The reason Maddie and Jack had chosen Amity Park to live in so many years ago was specifically _because_ the region it was in was a hotspot for ecto-activity. Surely some of them had at least heard of ectology before, even as just a joke. Then again…people could be phenomenally ignorant. Maddie knew this personally. Still. _Now_ they knew. There was even eyewitness evidence to support it! Maddie valued that most of all. So far, however, their detectors hadn't picked up a single thing. They traversed the school campus multiple times, more thoroughly than the last few instances they'd been allowed to.

She stopped dead in her tracks as a distinct beeping sounded from the device in her hand. She adjusted the controls on it immediately to focus on the small blip. Jack stood beside her and didn't comment as she did this, effortlessly reading the telltales like it was second nature. It made sense, she had built the thing herself. The western side of the school was where the ecto-signature, a term she and Jack had coined themselves, was coming from—the inside. They had been using a scanner in the outside lunch commons until this alerted them.

Not needing to verify, the machine was all they required, they hurried to the nearest door.

* * *

Across the school, things were going awry.

Lab equipment exploded, pencils snapped for no reason, and the _rattling_…

Danny raised his voice as best he could over the noise, "Stop!"

"I understand a bully when I see one!" Poindexter's nasally tones reached Danny's ears. Lockers snapped open, books and papers flying everywhere. Kids were running away, but Dash Baxter still stood there, watching with his jaw threatening to hit the floor. Danny might not have liked the guy, but he found himself wishing the douchebag would just _run_, escape to safety.

Green eye beams shot from Poindexter's eyes and blasted Danny full-on, sending him flying backwards, first through the library, then landing on his backside in another hallway. Danny lay there for a breath, before he felt the _anger_.

How _dare…_

He flew back through the way he came and—

_Mom? Dad?!_

They were standing in the hall he'd been kicked out of, staring straight at Poindexter, who looked rather surprised to see them as well. Baxter was _still_ there, pale and shocked.

Poindexter seemed to fidget, as if deciding what he should do next—Danny made that decision for him.

He charged at the ghost, barreling into him and far, _far_ away from his parents, down, _down_ somewhere, under the school. They finally hit ground where there were various pipes sticking out of the wall and going in every which direction.

He'd spent so much energy, he couldn't hold his form. He transformed back to his human self. The cold fire within still burnt. He glowered at Poindexter.

Poindexter, for his part, appeared—completely astounded.

"Holy smokes!"

Danny's lip curled in annoyance. Of all the things he could think to say, it couldn't have been something stronger?

"You're the _halfa!_"

Danny's expression was quizzical. Hal-fuh? The humming in his chest, ever-present, translated the ghost word for him. It didn't need to, because Sidney gave its definition when he spoke next.

"Everyone in the Ghost Zone talks about you!" Poindexter was more or less talking to himself, even if he was looking right at Danny, "You're half-a-boy, half-a-ghost! You have all our powers on the human plane! And—and…" His eyes went round in some sort of realization, "You were using your powers for _evil?!_"

Something in Danny was affronted at the idea. He couldn't get a word in edgewise, as it would happen.

Poindexter was contemplative for a beat before he said, "You might use your powers for picking on innocent kids, but I—sure as sugar—_won't!_"

_What?_

What was he—

_No. No. Nononono—_

"Get—_OUT_—"

The response rang out through his brain, _"No chance, Lance!"_

Poindexter was _possessing_ him—

His body was contorting in ways it wasn't supposed to—

Danny squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them next, they were gray, and foreign.

* * *

Danny was being yanked out of himself.

He reached out in vain because he could _see_ Poindexter staring up at him, watching him be sucked to god-knew-where, with a triumphant smile that simultaneously made Danny's blood boil and chill in despair.

He couldn't help it. He yelled incoherently.

An unseen force was pulling up, up, up...

Until finally he found himself back in the hallway, catching a glimpse of his parents, Dash and some other people before he couldn't see them anymore, buried inside locker seven hundred twenty four. He was crushed unnaturally inside a small space, flinching violently when a light spilled in the darkness. A monochrome face peered in at him mockingly.

"Hey, Poindexter!"

His breath hitched in his throat. In the mirror, an exact replica of the mirror in his own locker, was not his face, but Sidney's.

His eyes, though. They were still green.

"Get outta there, what are ya, stupid?"

A meaty hand grabbed him and set him roughly on the ground. What Danny saw was...Casper High. From decades past.

He wrenched backwards when a taller, black-haired pseudo-teen who reminded him vaguely of Dash placed both hands on his shoulders and forcibly pushed him onto his backside, "I'm talkin' to you, pencil-pusher!"

Danny hadn't heard anyone say anything. "I—"

A right hook caught him in the cheek, "Shaddup!"

Danny stumbled and was tripped by slender legs. A truly attractive girl in a ponytail smirked down at him, so cuttingly he irrationally felt ashamed just for existing. "Have a nice trip, see you next _fall_."

He gaped at them all, his white, black and gray torturers, then turned around and bolted for it. To his surprise, no one stopped him. He rushed for the nearest door—the door to the lunch commons—and flung them open—

He couldn't describe what doing this unveiled. Everything was so _green_. Which way was left, had the direction of right always been...so skewed? Yet it seemed—familiar...

"Close that thing," rumbled the same jock from before, "I'm gettin' a draft!"

_I've got to get out of here._

* * *

Sam knew something was wrong about two seconds in to seeing Danny walk past herself and Tucker as if nothing had happened. She had heard the commotion—who hadn't?—and...those weren't Danny's eyes.

"Danny?" She asked quietly.

He didn't respond, as if he didn't recognize his own name.

"Danny!" She said, a little louder this time. He did stop then, the instinctual sense that someone was referring to you while at the same time not knowing what they called you seeming to take hold. He turned to her.

"Do I know you?"

His voice was odd, still Danny's, but with a different inflection.

She was confused. "Are you messing with me?"

He paused, then brightened, "You must be one of my friends!"

This was all strange.

"Of...of course I am?"

He was grinning, but not the way she'd ever seen him grin in the past. It didn't look like him, "Neat! So this is what it's like! Anyone else I need to know about?"

"Danny, what is up with you?"

His expression faltered, "Nothing's 'up,'" he chortled, "Except the sky!"

She was getting a bit freaked.

"Dude," Tucker seemed to find his voice, "First of all, that's a lame joke, you can do better than that, and secondly, what's up with your eyes?"

Danny frowned, looking considerably pouty; it was just so _unlike _him, "I don't know what you mean."

"They just look—weird." Tucker elaborated.

"Aw, it'll wear off," Danny shrugged exaggeratedly, "Now, c'mon, pals! Let's have some fun!"

* * *

As it happened, Danny's new idea of 'fun' was making an absolute fool of himself.

He had used his intangibility powers, to Sam's shock, to dig around in one of the school's soft drink vending machines and pass around free sodas to everyone who'd take one. He'd say things like, "No problem-o, _compadre_," and, "For the coolest cats I know!" and it was in general extremely embarrassing to watch.

What could they do, though? Apparently their part-ghost friend had lost his mind.

School hadn't been called off despite the craziness, which Sam supposed she could understand. Enough days had already been called off in response to the ghostly activity. Besides, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton were there, although she had no idea precisely where they were.

She was glad Dash and his cronies were nowhere to be found while Danny was doing this, because she shuddered to think how they'd take advantage of the opportunity to bash him around some more.

* * *

Maddie and Jack rushed to the lower levels of the school as far as they could get—it wasn't very far, to their frustration, it was all plumbing basements which required maintenance keys to enter.

Both of their hearts were racing. They'd finally _found_ a ghost, not one, but _two_, humanoid and, unfortunately, violent.

"Capturing one of those things would be the highlight of our careers," Jack said.

She agreed, "The first of many."

Maddie remembered in vivid detail how time had slowed down for her as she watched the hooded, goggled ecto-entity—or, well, it appeared to have a hood and goggles, but ecto-entities didn't wear clothes or anything like such, it was all part of their single being—tackle the grayer one and disappear into the floor below. The gray one resembled a boy to the point it made Maddie's stomach queasy.

Her handheld device was directing her to...a row of lockers?

She stopped at one in particular which was giving off the highest ecto-residual signal. She pulled out another machine from a bag slung over her shoulder and set it to work doing its designated task: bringing out whatever was in there, akin to a vacuum. It was a prototype, but it would have to work.

* * *

Danny tried fighting back. He really did. He fought back with such ferocity that his tormentors quieted and stood back, amazed. He took the chance and resorted to hiding inside Poindexter's locker.

It didn't feel right to be in...this place, Poindexter's place. He felt like an outsider.

He startled as a new noise came from the mirror. It began to warp preternaturally and his proximity to it meant he wasn't immune. He cried out as he was drawn from the locker and—

Squished inside somewhere smaller and more compact.

He struggled, kicked and clawed, but it was no use, at least until his mind was so distraught that something in him responded, blazing and tightening his muscles with strength he didn't normally have. He lashed out and his container exploded. He heard a feminine shriek and a man's gasp and he floated there in relief for all of one second before he soaked in the sight of his mother and father. He stared at them and the broken piece of machinery he'd been held in.

Was this...the same device he'd put Technus in the first time around?

It was.

_Well, hell._

He was still in Poindexter's body. He needed to find his own body and—

He remembered his parents were there.

"Uh..."

There eyes were very wide. To his nervousness, his dad looked about ready to beat the hell out of him if he had to.

Danny was glad he could still go invisible. He fled to an empty classroom where he could recollect himself.

_Poindexter. Gotta find Poindexter._

Was the school day still going on? Or had it ended? He searched the hallways until he found a cluster of students.

"That was insane..."

"I'm tired of this bullshit..."

"...I keep seeing Fenton's parents everywhere I go. Freaks..."

He felt a touch of ire, but left them alone.

He found a clock. It was nearly the end of the day. If Poindexter hadn't just ran off campus, wouldn't he be following Danny's class schedule? He hoped his hunch was correct. What were those students doing out of class early, anyway? Well, then again, things kind of were a mess...going to class must be the last thing on their minds.

After an agonizing ten minutes of searching he spotted a familiar head of thick black hair. Poindexter!

Out of class? Whatever, it didn't matter.

Danny made a beeline for him and snarled in his face, the fierceness sounding incongruous with Sidney's voice, "Get out of my body!"

Poindexter froze, eyes shooting up from the soda cans in his hands to ogle Danny. "You! But, it's impossible!"

Danny smiled grimly, "Never say that around me. Now. Get. Out. Of. My. _Body_."

Poindexter grimaced, "No!"

Danny scrounged in his memory for what he recalled Poindexter had done when he'd taken over him, and decided to go with what seemed simplest. He lunged for Poindexter and fumbled his hands through his body before catching onto something, Poindexter squirmed (it was unsettling to witness) and shouted, "Help!"

That only made Danny angrier, for some reason.

He tugged until the ghostly apparition of Sidney Poindexter was being split from the body of Daniel Fenton, at once Sidney started melding with Danny, it was a bad feeling, but Danny also could've sworn he was being hauled back into his own form as well. They were switching places.

"Danny!" Sam yelled from the other end of the hallway. Tucker almost echoed her, but at the sight of Danny looking so fatigued, he couldn't think of what he would say after.

The process was complete. Danny, spent, flopped onto the ground listlessly, unconscious. The sodas clinked as they hit the floor.

"Nooo!" Poindexter squawked.

Sam was scared, "What did you do to him?!"

"What did _I_ do to _him__?_" Sidney demanded, indignant, "You should be asking what _he_ did to _me__!_"

"Go away!"

Sidney fumed.

Maddie and Jack barged onto the scene.

Class had been in session, but now kids were starting to poke their heads out of the classroom doors, most likely without their teachers' permissions.

"_Danny!_" Jack bellowed once he realized who the limp form was, he ran forward, forgetting the ghost's presence hovering over his son, if anything that only made him go faster.

The power which bound Poindexter to his domain inside locker seven hundred twenty four came to life. He twisted and wailed pitifully as he was brought back to his personal hell. Through the hallways he went, and then the locker slammed itself shut.

What Poindexter didn't expect was the warm welcome he received from his peers once he'd finished pounding his fists on the locker.

"Hey, Sidney," said one figure. They never called him 'Sidney,' "That was some pretty impressive fighting you did back there."

"What...I did what?"

"Wanna come hang out with us?"

"S-sure!"


	23. WHAT YOU WANT, 1

"Danny! Can you hear me?!" Jack held his son.

Maddie said, "I'm calling an ambulance," she had watched the gray boy-ghost with morbid fascination, intermixed bizarrely with her intense concern for her child.

Sam swallowed, not speaking. This reminded her uncomfortably of when Danny had been electrocuted by the Fenton Portal. By the paleness of Tucker's face he was thinking along the same lines.

* * *

At a swap meet less than a mile away from the school, an elderly woman dropped one of her antique bottles which were for sale and looked on in bafflement as a lustrous figure emerged from the broken shards.

_"Free! Free at last!"_ It cried.

* * *

When Danny woke, it dawned on him slowly that there were people around him and he was inside a moving vehicle, "What's going on?"

"Don't worry," said one of the EMTs, "Your parents called 911 and you're being taken to a hospital."

_Again?_

"What happened?"

"They told us you'd passed out," said the same EMT, "I'm sure you'll be fine. Your mom and dad are following us in their—car." As if they didn't know how to describe the tank-vehicle.

He wished he were in the RV instead.

"Okay..." he said, even as thoughts began swirling in his brain. What had happened to Poindexter? What if the doctors could tell there was something weird about Danny? What if...

* * *

Jasmine sat in her last period class oblivious to what had happened to her brother. When the last bell rung she picked up her belongings and prepared to head for the parking lot where her pink volkswagen was. She got into it and started the engine without any trouble. She figured she'd find her parents at home, Danny arriving soon after, if Maddie and Jack didn't just decide to drive him home since they were at the school as well. She contemplated the changes in her life. Ghosts were officially proven to exist. She'd never expected that, not seriously. They kept showing up around Casper, for some reason. Perhaps it was because of the name, she mused, only half-joking. She didn't know what to think anymore in a lot of ways, but she was always good at keeping a straight head. She moved on to another subject: Spike, her 'patient.' Since the meat-specter's appearance in the outdoor commons that fateful day he'd become much more talkative and responsive when speaking to her.

She was glad for that. Maybe not everything was out of balance now that ghosts were out and about. Well, logically, just because she was only seeing them now didn't mean they hadn't been there before. But, still. She stopped her car outside FentonWorks and walked up to the front steps, unlocking the door and walking inside. She checked around to see if anyone was home and to her surprise no one was. Were her parents still at Casper? Had they actually found anything? She couldn't know unless she called them, which she did.

"Mom?" She said immediately when her mother picked up.

"Jasmine! Your brother was attacked by a ghost."

"..._What?_"

"He's in an ambulance on the way to the hospital right now."

Her brother was _attacked?_

This was all unreal. Surreal.

"Is he okay?"

"He was unconscious last we saw him, Jazz, he'll be taken care of, and nothing will ever touch him again, I swear it." There was force in her mother's tone which made Jazz believe her. Jasmine wasn't there to see it, but Jack's mouth tightened as his wife said this. He never wanted to come upon something like that again.

"I...should I wait at home for you?"

"Yes, for now, sweetheart, we'll call you if anything changes."

"Alright..."

They hung up.

* * *

"Damn it," Tucker cursed, "I don't know what's going on in my life anymore." After a few minutes of standing around he'd abruptly left Sam in the hall and practically stomped to the front steps of Casper High, sitting on the highest step and sulking, stewing in his own uselessness. He wanted to be able to help Danny, not arrive at the last minute and watch him be hurt. He knew Sam must be taking it hard, too, but what could he do for her? They barely even got along most of the time. She had opened up to him and Danny by revealing her wealthiness, and he guessed that was a step forward, but it still felt like there was a barrier there he couldn't quite get across.

How could he begin to relate to what Danny was going through? He couldn't, plain and simple.

"I wish..." he held his head in his hands, "I wish I was ghostly and everything like Danny, too."

A sultry voice weaved around him, "And your heart's desire is my command."

Tucker jolted as green mist filtered his vision, it smelled tangy. He gasped as everything_changed_.

* * *

Inside the ER, his parents met up with him.

"The doctors will be here shortly," said a nurse who quickly disappeared.

"I didn't expect to be in the ER again so soon," Danny tried to spread some humor.

Maddie wasn't amused, "Do you remember what happened, Danny?"

"Um..." he bit his lip, "The ghost...kid..." For a moment he almost felt like he was talking about himself, "The gray one, I mean," he stumbled, "It came up to me, and...I dunno what happened." He was bad at this.

"You saw the other one?"

"Yeah..."

Maddie looked as if she wanted to question him further, but seemed to decide other things were more important. "This will never happen to you again, Danny. I promise."

"Me, too," Jack echoed.

Danny gulped. "How's Jazz?"

"She's at home, she called while we were on the way here," Jack answered, "Do you want to talk to her?"

Oh, geez. What was he, five? But he figured they were only being concerned. "I'm fine."

He'd gotten rid of yet another ghost. Was this going to be a permanent trend in his life now? He hoped not. If his mom and dad were really going to do what they said they would, then eventually ghosts would stop showing up. Maybe then he'd be able to tell them that he was...a freak, and they'd fix him.

* * *

The doctors could find nothing wrong with him, and he didn't feel as worn out as he did at that one moment when he and Sidney had switched. He was released so that they could have room for people who actually needed the ER more than he did. He was relieved.

It was around five p.m. when they got to FentonWorks.

Jazz opened the door for them. "Hey!"

"Hey, Jazz," Danny said in return. The living room was familiar and comforting. "Do you know what happened to Sam and Tucker?"

She frowned, "No, I don't."

"I can answer that, son," Jack said, "They were there when the ecto-entity did that to you. We had to leave them behind. I'm sure they're fine."

"Can I ask what exactly it _did_ to Danny?" Jasmine asked.

"I don't remember," Danny said, irked that she was asking their parents instead of him, as if he wasn't there, "I just saw it and...then...I don't know." It felt weak to him, but all three of them looked at him, solemn.

"Why would it go after Danny?" Jazz pressed.

"Jasmine," Maddie said sternly, "You can't predict what a ghost will do."

"Isn't that what ectology is supposed to do?"

That set Maddie _and_ Jack's lips into hard lines. "You don't understand," Maddie assured, "And it's not your fault that you don't." She seemed to be partly speaking to herself, like she was finding reasons not to chew out her daughter.

"Do you guys mind if I just go to bed?" Danny glanced at his feet.

"Of course not, sweetie," Maddie told him, "I'll get you when dinner's ready."

He nodded and went upstairs to his bedroom. He wanted to fall asleep but found he was thinking too hard on too many things.

* * *

Sam's grandmother Ida knocked on her room's door, "Sammy? May I come in?"

At the very least, her grandma had the sense to not just barge in like her parents tended to, "Yes, Nana."

On her wheelchair, the old woman came in, "Is something the matter?"

Sam didn't usually spill her feelings or worries to her family much these days, but her grandmother she could make an exception for, "I just...one of my friends is going through a hard time..." She didn't know how to put it in words. What she'd said barely scratched the surface of what was going on.

"And you're worried for them?" Ida said for her, "That's very caring of you, dear, and I wouldn't tell you to stop for the world. Tell me more, and I might be able to give advice."

That was the clincher, "He's...he keeps getting hurt and ending up in the hospital."

"Because of?"

_Me, _she thought desperately, _I let him go in the Portal, I wasn't fast enough to stop that stupid ghost..._"Different things. His life just seems to be really hectic."

"Hmm..." Ida rubbed her chin, "Is this a boy you have a crush on?"

"Nana, _no_," Sam hurried to deflect, "He is my _friend_. I'm just trying to be there for him."

A gentleness entered Ida's countenance, "Well, that's all you really need to do, Sam."

"But..."

"If he asks for anything more, then give it to him. Unless of course—"

Sam assumed what she was going to say next and was correct, "Danny's not like that."

"Had to say it, Sammy."

Sam exhaled.

* * *

The very next thing Tucker knew, he was sitting on the family couch in his house. "Wh..." He started, but couldn't form words.

He felt different. He shrugged the feeling away.

He stood up warily and looked around. He found his mom in the laundry room. "How'd I get here?"

She looked at him quizzically, "I didn't even hear you come in, Tuck'. What are you talking about?"

He shook his head, "Never mind..." he didn't like being so secretive with her, but if Danny had to endure it, then so could he.

Tucker journeyed back to the couch and laid there, eventually dozing off.

* * *

Danny wandered back downstairs to watch television although dinner wasn't ready yet. Everyone was somewhere else in the house, he was alone, so he was the only one who saw the news report detailing a green-skinned womanlike ectoplasmic entity causing mayhem around town. He didn't know what to do. Was this really something he had to do? He didn't even know where the ghost was...

_"...currently the entity has been seen in the central park..."_

He was chagrined.

He glanced from left to right and there really was none of his family members around.

He pulled at the coldness in his chest and turned invisible, intangibly flying through the walls of FentonWorks into the outside world.

It was different, trying to navigate a town while in the air, but it wasn't that hard. He flew for the park, where he'd been many times as a younger child and sometimes had spent time with Tucker after school hours.

When he saw the spectress, floating above the mess of transformed objects and even people (that made Danny uneasy the most; ghosts could_do_ that? Well, if they could _possess_ people...) like she was the harbinger of some holy messiah, he was taken aback by her beauty momentarily, previously unaware that ghosts could be anything but ugly. There had been that girl ghost which he'd gotten the dragon amulet from, though. It didn't matter. He flew up to her, keeping a certain distance.

"Who are you?" He demanded, "Why are you in my town?"

It wasn't the _why_, he corrected himself internally, it was the _how do I get you out of my town?_

"I am Desiree," introduced the she-ghost, "What is your wish?" She held the flat palms of her hands together before her, looking at Danny from within a frame of long black hair.

He glared, though his eyes weren't visible through the goggles, "None of your business."

"Surely there must be something you desire," she insisted. Her hand outstretched to touch him. He lurched back.

"Get away!"

His arms moved to shield him but something started happening, in his knuckles and wrists and the tips of his fingers. Ectoplasm welled around his hands and shot forward at Desiree, she shouted as she was blasted a fair distance away.

He'd done it instinctively. He stared at his hands in astonishment. A new power.


	24. WHAT YOU WANT, 2

"Why have you been watching the news so much lately?"

Tucker, on the couch, craned his neck around to look at his mother, "Have you seen the crazy stuff going on around town lately?"

Angela Foley set her hands akimbo on her hips, "Of course I have! Don't talk to me that way."

Tucker suppressed a sigh. He didn't mean to set her off.

"It's all madness, I admit, but it's also scientifically explainable. Nothing supernatural about it," Angela seemed to not meet his eyes as she said this, like she was stubbornly sticking to a conviction she wasn't sure others agreed with, "Jack and Maddie are the ones trained to handle these things, aren't they? It'll blow over soon enough." Her son remembered how terrified she'd been when Technus had attacked and admired her current composure on the matter.

"Well..." Tucker couldn't deny the itching in his feet, "If it's fine with you, I think I'll just go out and take a walk."

"While this is happening?" Angela indicated the female ghost's mayhem on the television screen, "Are you out of your mind?"

"It's not like I'll go far."

"Tuckard D'Shon, _no_."

This was going to be difficult.

The compulsion to be _out there_ somehow _helping_ Danny was a burning flame in Tucker's gut which refused to go away. What help could he be, he thought desolately once again; he was useless, he had no ghost powers. Something else was stirring within as well, but he had no words for it...

* * *

Didn't this lady ever take a break?

Danny's blast of offensive ectoplasm incensed Desiree, she had reared up from her place plastered flatly on the ground to shriek at him, swiping with claw-like digits repeatedly. He was quick, he _had_ to be, those things looked sharp and he didn't want to find out exactly how sharp they were. It crossed his mind that she must be _really_ irrationally angry to not even consider blasting him in return, at the moment she was nearly animalistic with the need to dig her talons into him.

Over and over he avoided her and at some point he guessed he just grew tired. He tried to summon the feeling he'd experienced when he'd fired the ectoblast and found it was incredibly easy to do, the ectoplasm swelled around his clenched fists and he pointed them at her once he could have an opportunity, _firing_. The one sent from his left hand missed, but Desiree made an _arrgh_ sound as his right hand blast straight into her shapely green-toned face. From behind his green-tinted goggles he thought he met her red eyes. They were flashing with swiftly forming hatred, her mouth twisted unpleasantly with dislike and he got the sense she believed there were a thousand better things she could be doing at that moment.

Too bad.

He'd spent too long gazing into her face, however, because the next thing he knew one of her arms had come down on his head lightning fast and he plummeted down a few feet from the force. Ghosts were hard-hitters. So was he, damn it! He glared up and saw her looking smug above him. One of his hands was holding his head and he was so surprised by the knock on the skull he simply bared his teeth at her.

Her full lips parted to say smoothly, "_Gwaeryu_ _eht hutherip?_" _Admiring my beauty?_

His head reeled—the gibberish! The unknown language he sometimes broke into for no reason! She was speaking it! And he _understood! _She did it so easily, like it was second nature.

Then the meaning of the words struck him and his hackles rose, _"Hutherip? Yek she cren khas!"_ _Beauty? I don't see any! _The words flowed angrily from his mouth. It sounded right to _him_, but a sort of condescension washed over Desiree. It came to his mind that compared to how she'd spoken, he'd sounded very plain and...despite having pieced the sentence together correctly as far as he could tell, he seemed like a little boy who hadn't yet picked up the proper dialect of adults.

She sneered, "Hah. Learn to speak, boy, then we shall talk."

"I think not," he shook off the burst of insecurity and in a second's time materialized a blast that hit her in the midsection. Her eyes went wide directly before it made contact as she realized her error: she had been so focused on mocking him for what she perceived as immaturity she'd forgotten he was fighting her. Or whatever. Who knew what had been going through her head. Danny could only make assumptions from what he witnessed.

Evidently she'd had enough of him by now because she snarled at him one last time, trying to make an escape. He rushed after her as she flew away and nearly caught her tail-like lower body, however, she _did_ remember that she could make ectoblasts as well this time, as Danny discovered while he was sent sprawling backwards from a blast and just managing to stop himself from falling back-first into the grass ground of the recreational park below.

He cursed. He couldn't see her anymore.

* * *

Sam was oblivious to any of this happening, she was in her room contemplating the turns her life had taken. There was no TV in her room, so she couldn't see the news, which she didn't often watch anyway. Her grandma had left her alone after their conversation and she was thankful for it, lying on her side on her queen-sized bed decorated with various shades of black and purple. Her favorite colors.

She sneezed.

Was she getting a cold? She hoped not.

She stood up to get a tissue from the box sitting on one of her over-large bookshelves. She walked up to and glanced through her bedroom balcony, closed, at the cloudy day. The drapes obscured a lot of it but she could make out the wide rich-person-neighborhood street she'd always had a view of for as long as she could recall. She'd lived in this mansion her entire life.

She leaned against the glass.

She wondered how Tucker and Danny were doing.

Maybe she could watch some _Dead Teacher IV_ to pass the time...

* * *

Tucker'd waited until his mom had been placated (his dad was at work, so he didn't need to worry about him) enough that she'd left him alone. Then, he'd promptly snuck out the front door of the house and proceeded to rush down the street to the town central park, where Danny surely must have been.

He would get hell from both of his parents for this, especially with the previous stunt he'd pulled when the Technus thing happened, but he didn't care right now. He was running much faster than he ever thought he could, with a vigor unfamiliar to him. It was almost unnatural.

Before he knew it he was in the sky, zooming through it towards the park, and for a minute he was perplexed. A strange sense came over him though, telling him he needn't worry. This was supposed to happen. He accepted it without knowing any better, all logic erased. He didn't even notice the verdant undertone his body was turning.

* * *

A flying car? Really?

Danny chased said airborne vehicle as it zigzagged between buildings. His chief concern was the screaming man in the driver's seat. He'd nearly reached the rolled-down window—essentially his plan was to intangibly yank the guy out of the car and place him safely on the sidewalk—when an echoing, not unknown voice cried, "Don't sweat this one, Danny! I'm on it!"

Danny screeched to a stop in the way only someone flying could, gaping. _Tucker?! _

Tucker was grabbing the car by a wheel and—flinging it! To the ground! The screams of the man inside were terrible. Danny was horrified and whisked at a speed which he hadn't known he'd possessed to latch onto the car and intangible-ize it before it could crash irreparably, carefully using his super-strength to put it on the Earth where it belonged. The person inside was without a doubt traumatized. Danny swallowed heavily as he tried to comprehend what just went down. He raised his head as his breath misted, indicated a floating, glowing Tucker Foley scowling at him, arms crossed.

"You just had to save the day, didn't you?"

"Tucker, what the hell?!"

"Hey, who cares?" Tucker shrugged back, his eyes were glazed over. "And guess what, I can actually be useful now!"

Danny shook his head. What was going on?

Had...had Desiree gotten to Tucker? How was he supposed to reverse this?

He searched for anything to say. "Tucker...I'm concerned—"

"Yeah, well, don't be," a sullen disappointment festered in the other boy's voice, "I can tell you don't like this just by lookin' at you. I don't care!" The last three words were spoken with such ferocity Danny flinched. He'd never heard Tucker talk in such a manner, and they'd known one another since preschool. "This town's big enough for more than one ghost boy." He rose higher upwards and, to Danny's amazement, zipped off into the distance at a rate Danny knew for a fact he personally couldn't fly at.

He stayed there, shaken.

Had he lost his best friend forever?

His ghostly form was already cold, but suddenly everything seemed chiller.


	25. WHAT YOU WANT, 3

It didn't matter how much Danny searched for Tucker, he couldn't find him, he wasn't at his house when Danny invisibly flew through it, although he did give pause to blink at Angela Foley who seemed very upset about something. At a loss, he returned to FentonWorks. The sun was rapidly setting and dinner would be soon. He didn't think he had much of an appetite. How could he stomach food when things like this were going on? It was a fluke of the universe that somehow his parents didn't seem to have realized Desiree's onslaught was going on at _all_, and he wondered how they'd react to finding out they'd missed it.

"You must have been conked out, Danny," his mom said as she put a plate of food before him, "I didn't hear a peep from your room all this time."

Because he hadn't been in his room.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

He had come back from the hospital not very long ago. She was only being a good mother. He didn't have the will to give her cause to worry, "I'm cool, Mom."

Roast beef.

"Don't you think things are escalating?" Jasmine asked their father, and for a tense heartbeat Danny thought she knew, but he realized she couldn't.

"Well, Jazzy," Jack pursed his lips, "Like we've always told you, this town is a hotspot anyway. It was only a matter of time before entities started crawling out of the woodwork." He and his wife were rarely the type to say things just to get their kids to stop questioning. For once Danny wished they were, if it meant making his sister just shut up, "Now that we have an attractor of sorts in our lab, I mean."

"Jack," Maddie looked at him, "Saying the Portal is a 'beacon' seems to stray into the realm of pseudoscience."

"Well, Mads," Jack made a gesture with one palm, as if to say, _Can't you consider it?_ "How else do we explain how they're suddenly showing up _now?_"

She had nothing to say to that.

Jazz surprisingly said nothing else, looking to be deep in thought.

Danny ate his meal, each bite flavorless on his tongue.

* * *

The next morning Danny was alone on the school bus. Tucker wasn't there.

Sam sent Danny a text message. She was sick and was staying home.

He walked his usual path to first period class, Mr. Lancer's English, when he bumped into someone entirely unexpected.

"Tucker?"

Everything in the dark-skinned boy's body language bespoke arrogance and a fluidity he normally did his best to imitate, but never really _had_ until now, "In the flesh."

"What happened yesterday? Are you okay?" Danny inquired hastily.

"Oh, that? It was no big deal," Tucker drawled.

"Dude..." Danny hesitantly put a hand on his friend's shoulder, relieved to find Tucker allowed the contact to happen, "I need to figure out what's going on inside of you. Bear with me." He went intangible and tried to overshadow Tucker.

He immediately regretted it. It reminded him badly of when Sidney had taken control of his body, except now Danny was the intruder (a fact which left a horrible taste in his mouth). Without warning he was being thrown forcibly out of Tucker and backwards into a school staff maintenance room.

The other boy phased partially through the door, "Don't _ever_ do that again," Tucker spat, "Got it?"

Danny stared at him haplessly.

"Good!" His head phased back out. Danny was tangled in a pile of mops. He shakily got to his senses.

He put his head in his hands. After five minutes of silent despair an innate drive, the one he'd become intimately close with the past month, kicked in—well, more liked kicked _him_ and told him he ought to find a way to get rid of Desiree, if nothing else, since she was clearly the source of all this craziness.

_"I am Desiree," _she had introduced, _"What is your wish?"_

His wish.

Skulker was a hunter, Technus had been an electronics ghost, so Desiree's power was...granting wishes?

A feeble strength thrummed in him. The concept of wish-granting made him think of a wishing well. There was a fountain in the town park. He would be skipping school, but...this was worth it.

He transformed and made his way to said fountain, but then realized he didn't have a coin to throw in it. Damn it. Was there another way to do it? He didn't register the presence of a reddish-haired man approaching the fountain as well until he heard the telltale flop of a dime into the water.

"I wish I had a million bucks," said the man. He glanced at Danny, for the first time seeing the black-and-white suit and seeming taken aback by the opaque green goggles.

The air went cold, green mist sprouted from the waters and weaved around the stranger, who froze.

"So it is desired, so shall it be."

Desiree.

Danny lurched forward and grabbed the man. He shoved Danny away, then went still once more as the mist took a form.

"Young intruder," hissed Desiree, "You dare to interfere with _my spellbinding?_"

Funny she was the one calling him an intruder, when she was the one in his goddamn town!

"I do! I want you to get rid of everything you've changed, now!" He barked.

The man had had enough. He turned and ran. Danny was secretly glad Desiree didn't even look at him go.

"I cannot," her voice was suddenly softer, "By noon tomorrow, the fates of all I have affected will be sealed."

Including Tucker.

"No!" Danny was adamant, "I can't let that happen!"

"_Hahaha!_ You think you can change anything, whelpling?" She moved to fly, but Danny was fast. He wrapped his fingers around her tail roughly. She looked at him slowly. "You lay a hand on me? No man may lay a hand on me unless _I_ wish it!" She was furious.

"Yeah?" Danny frowned viciously, "How 'bout a fist?" He aimed a hook at her but it went right through, to his eternal annoyance.

She swerved upwards and morphed her arm into a rope, which shot out and tied itself around Danny's waist in what seemed like a fraction of a second. He was thrown this way and that at Desiree's whim, nose painfully snapping on a park bench. She released him then, he took the opportunity to fire an especially intense ectoblast which he formed with both hands at her, she smacked against a tree and fell to the dirt. She grinned with an unholy glee and super-sized her hand which reached out and gripped Danny relentlessly. He struggled against it.

"Now you can't do anything unless I wish it!" She gloated.

The thermos.

The one strapped to his waist. She had his legs locked, but he could still reach the thermos!

He uncorked it and all but screamed, "I wish you would get sucked inside this thermos!"

She gawked at him. For a moment, he feared she would laugh and call him futile, but her expression remained. "_No..._" She moaned, "I...I must obey..."

That was all it took?

He watched in amazement as she, shocked, was indeed pulled into the Fenton Thermos.

"You will pay for this...! _Pay!_"

He regained himself and put the lid back on without further trouble.

He had to find his friend.

* * *

Searching the school, Danny finally found Tucker doing something on a monitor in one of the computer labs...was he hacking into his own grades? Wow. Nothing Danny could do about that, he had more important things to worry about.

"Tuck', you're in real danger—"

Tucker _flared_, there was really no other way to describe it; his ears became pointed, as well as his teeth, his skin brightened into a neon green, irises taking on a crimson sheen. Power pulsated from him in such a way the coldness in Danny's chest reacted defensively, making Danny cringe back.

"Take it easy," Danny tried to placate, "We're friends, remember?"

"Only on your terms," Tucker growled, "But now I make the rules around here, and my first rule is: no more _Phantom!_" A strong gust of ghostly viridian breath shot out from his mouth (Danny dwelled on how gross that was for a second) and knocked Danny clear through several hallways before crashing against a door. He was sure at least some students must have seen him fly past.

He realized he'd landed in a science classroom. He stood up—Tucker marched intangibly through the closed door, surprising him.

They locked eyes, a glare and a wide-eyed stare. Tucker raised his clenched fists and fired up ectoblasts. Danny tensed. He didn't want to hurt his friend. He found he had no choice but to dodge the blasts, running behind desks and ducking his head multiple times. It was beyond freaky to see Tucker like this. Another blast nearly caught his ear. Danny's self-preservation fired up, he grabbed a skeletal display and flung it with decent momentum at Tucker, realizing what he'd done a second too late. This wasn't some aggravating ghost he was trying to get out of his town, this was his best friend! Even as he thought this, Tucker disappeared briefly and the skeleton went right through him, hitting the wall behind.

"Is that the best you can do?!" The boy snarled.

Danny swallowed a knot in his throat. It _was_ the best he could do.

For once, his humanity overruled his otherworldly burning to battle. He fled through a wall. He needed to recoup. He stopped in a room filled with pipes and huffed. His ghost sense misted and he froze. Some alien instinct told him Tucker was _following_ him. He was right, because not even a moment later the wish-inflicted teen was crashing into Danny's hiding place.

Danny panicked. He flew _away_ as fast he could, eventually bursting outside near the campus football field.

He looked over his shoulder, paranoid—with good reason. Tucker was _still tailing him_. He was visibly, literally, enraged: at least two feet taller, buffer-looking, almost unrecognizable as Tucker Foley. His eyes had lost their irises and pupils, replaced with pure redness.

Danny was freaking out by this point. Everything he'd done so far since his accident in the Portal would be for naught. He was going to be offed by his own buddy. He went invisible and blinked startled as Tucker slowed to a confused stop.

"Where are you? _Where?_"

Danny's breathing evened. Maybe this could work.

He reappeared a few feet behind Tucker, "What'sa matter?"

Tucker turned around, frothing at the mouth.

"Can't catch what you can't see?" With that, Danny went invisible once again.

He had an inkling that ghosts could 'sense' other ghosts even if they couldn't see them. With that suspicion in mind, he raced through the sky to FentonWorks, where there must be surely _something_ in his parents' lab which would pacify Tucker long enough for Danny to talk some sense into him. He careened into his home so quickly he just about crashed into the laboratory. A mistake.

What he didn't know was that his parents had been working on a device earlier that day which vaguely resembled a dream-catcher. They hadn't meant for this of course, it was simply how it ended up appearing. Danny couldn't slow down fast enough. He went straight into it, a strange splitting sensation imbuing him with a terrible sort of horror he couldn't explain. He was being taken apart...!

It was over. He couldn't remember blacking out but he must have because he woke up with his cheek flat against the titled sterile floor, eyes taking in the sight of...himself, lying beside him. He was in human form, but his ghost form was separated from him. It was utterly wrong. How was this possible? He was one person, not two! His ghost self lifted itself to its feet, seemingly just as shell-shocked. Danny couldn't read its eyes through the goggles—was this what Sam and Tucker felt like when looking at him in that form?

Wasn't this what he'd wanted on some level? To be normal again? For his mom and dad to invent something to fix him?

His ghost self didn't seem occupied with similar thoughts. It turned to study the dream-catcher-esque device, unknown to Danny, it—or rather, he—was making sense of how to reverse what had happened, because he too knew that being two and not one was fundamentally not-meant-to-be. If going in it one way had made _this _happen, then going back in from the opposite direction...it could be nonsense, it could be genius.

Danny started as his ghost self lifted him up by the arms effortlessly. Danny was clueless, Phantom was hopeful. Intangibility made them both rise effortlessly once more through the Catcher. All at once Danny understood what had been going through Phantom's head because, really, it had been _his_ head. He shook off the insecurity his pure human side had felt. He took in the entirety of the Catcher, looking it up and down.

Tucker was ghostly, too, now, wasn't he? There had to be a human underneath it all.

The timing was practically destiny. Tucker charged down through the ceiling of the lab, roaring. He was going in such a straight beeline Danny saw an uncanny opportunity. He yanked the heavy Catcher from its place in the center of the lab and held it in Tucker's path. He could see the monstrous boy's expression contort as he went into the net-like wires. Danny's breath hitched as he saw the unmistakable form of his best friend materialize on the other side of the Catcher. But, something else emerged.

Tucker tumbled to the tiled floor much like Danny had minutes previous, except he was awake for all of five seconds, gawking at the creature that had been a part of him, before his eyes rolled back and he flopped onto his side. This alarmed Danny to see, but first, he activated his thermos and captured the incoherently spitting, baffled ecto-entity which had caused him and his friend so much strife.

Danny fell to his knees, exhausted. It was done.


	26. BITTER REUNIONS, 1

Danny carried Tucker to the backyard of FentonWorks and, with little other option, waited for him to awaken. It took about ten minutes.

"Ugh..." Tucker groaned, sitting up on the grassy dirt ground.

"I'm glad you're up," Danny said carefully, "How do you feel?"

Tucker started to hyperventilate, "What did I _do?_"

"It wasn't you, man," Danny rushed to assure, "That ghost got to you, you weren't in your right mind. But it's over now, I got rid of them both."

Tucker hugged himself. Danny looked away. This was a moment of weakness for his friend and deserved respect.

"You always do the right thing," Tucker half-mumbled, unable to meet Danny's gaze, "You saved my life."

Danny couldn't exactly say it wasn't a big deal, so he didn't try, "Everything's fine now."

Tucker sat there staring at his knees until he finally raised his eyes to connect with Danny's, "Thanks."

"No problem."

They relished in the peace for a couple minutes before Tucker suddenly snorted. Danny looked at him quizzically.

"What do we tell Sam?"

Danny thought about that, "Nothing, if you don't want to."

"Let's keep this just between us, okay?"

"Sounds good to me, Tuck'."

They moved onto the subject of what to do now. Tucker miraculously had his PDA in his pocket and checked the time. School wasn't over yet. It was midday.

"I can't believe this," Tucker frowned, "I still gotta go to class after all _that?_"

_That_ was the Tucker Foley whom Danny knew, "I'll phase you through the fence, do you mind walking back there? I have to put these ghosts back in the Portal."

Any other time Tucker would have protested to walking on foot anywhere if he didn't have to (he would have insisted for Danny to fly him there) but upon hearing the last part he closed his mouth and eyed the thermos warily, "Yeah, okay, good luck."

Danny did as he'd said and bid his friend farewell, going back down into the lab and dispensing the thermos.

* * *

They never did tell Sam, though she could feel something different in the air between the two boys when she returned healthy and bushy-tailed to Casper the next day. She inquired if she'd missed anything important, Danny glanced away and said 'no.' Tucker didn't respond. She found this weird but didn't press further to both of their relief. She had something else to talk about—her plans to retry the auditorium speech with her vegetarian Goth acquaintances which he had ruined the first time. This was refreshingly normal.

It was the first day of October, Danny realized. He stared down at the report card he'd been handed by Mr. Lancer and felt distinctly unhappy. His grades were slipping. He used to get consistent A's. To his dismay he saw that some of the teachers had written comments along the lines of 'needs to attend class.' His life was spiraling out of his control. But he couldn't just sit by and let the ghosts mess with his town! He dreaded showing his parents this card. He knew he would have to anyway. He'd flown to school with his scooter that morning, not riding the bus with Tucker. How great it was to fly. He hoped he wasn't taking it for granted.

Instead of using their free time after school to patrol (what a professional term...they were just a trio of teenagers...) the streets for any ghosts, they hung out at the Nasty Burger restaurant, unbothered by the A-Listers who for some reason or another weren't there to not-so-discreetly talk smack about them from a few booths away, like they usually did whenever Danny and his friends shared the same space as them these days. Danny wondered how Dash's social status had suffered since he'd possessed the older student and accidentally made him dump his tray of food on Paulina Sanchez. If Danny was fortunate, the guy had fallen down a few considerable pegs.

They had a good time and remained till the sun was setting, Sam and Tuck' went home for their respective dinnertimes and Danny made it seem like he was going to do the same, in truth he wanted to ride his scooter around aimlessly, thinking to himself. That was what he did. He figured he'd be fine. He got so wrapped up in his mind's wanderings it hit him that it had grown entirely too dark much too late. He was going to miss his mother and father's set curfew. He'd already made the decision to miss dinner. This was completely on him.

That was when his breath manifested bluish.

He screeched his scooter to a halt, aghast. No. Not so soon.

He left his scooter leaning against a streetlight, surveying the surroundings, finding there was no one watching (who he could see), he took the risk and transformed, rising up in the nighttime sky and scanning the horizon for anything at all glowing. He found three, acid green..._birds_, no, _vultures_, he could tell even from this distance.

They were heading...in the direction...of FentonWorks? Danny's heart sank.

He flew at top speed to catch up with them, they stopped and turned to him, he fired up ectoblasts in his palms—

One _spoke_ to him, in a crackly old man's voice, "Mind your own business, fancy-pants ghost boy!"

He was so thrown by the talking animal (_ghost,_ he corrected himself, _it's a ghost, not a..._) he just kind of stared.

Another opened its beak, "We've been circling this town for hours, we could'a been halfway to Florida by now! Ask him for directions!" It sounded irritated, if Danny were just a touch more insane he'd have thought it comical.

The original vulture who'd spoken snapped, "I know where I'm going!"

"You so do not," the third buzzard grumbled, pointed a wing at Danny, "Ask him!"

Danny's jaw was slack.

The first vulture seemed to glare at the third one but then sighed, "Well, ghost boy," it shuffled its talon feet in midair to face Danny, "You know the ghost hunters who live around here?"

Danny was just too stricken to answer.

The vulture, uncannily, rolled its eyes despite lacking any pupils or irises, "What, you've never seen talking poultry before? They weren't kidding when they called you young," it coughed, "We're looking for a man named Jack Fenton. We're going to destroy him. Know where he is?"

_Jack Fenton? _The name echoed in Danny's ears, immediately followed by the word _destroy_.

"W-wha..." Danny stammered.

"This is useless!" The vulture scoffed, "Whelps don't know anything these days!"

They seemed like they were about to fly off—to find his dad, to kill him. What Danny had learned was indeed his ghostliness took over, he couldn't let them hurt his father, even as his human side was still reeling with shock and disbelief. The ectoblasts which had fizzled out existence during their talking to him returned full force and he _fired._

They shrieked in unison, out of the blast's path, one shouting, "Hey, what gives?!"

Danny fired again and again.

They were quick suckers, he'd give them that.

All at once they were flying around him in a disorientating circle; he grimaced. They stopped in a fraction of second and that was all he needed to zoom upwards, he looked down and saw they had crashed into each other instead of body-slamming him like they'd definitely been intending. Dazed, they regrouped more quickly than he'd anticipated and he dodged their snapping beaks repeatedly. The chase went onwards to the town clock-tower and thinking fast, a vulture gaining on his heels, he whipped around and managed to get a hold of its feathery tail, he used all his strength to swing it around like a baseball bat, knocking into the other two. Indignant squawks filled his ears, to his satisfaction.

He let go of the ghost bird and to his puzzlement they didn't attack him again. Sullenly and silently they glared him down before flying away, in the _opposite_ direction of FentonWorks. It occurred to him that he ought to suck them into the Thermos, but he was so flabbergasted by their choice to depart he didn't do anything. He watched them until they were specks on the dark horizon.

The clock behind him loudly signaled ten p.m. without warning, he actually flinched.

* * *

Having retrieved his scooter he flew home, he put the scooter in the garage where it belonged. He went back outside to rap his knuckles on the front door as any average person would do. He knew one of his parents, or even both, would open it, it turned out to be his mother, who at once interrogated, "Where have you been?"

He gulped, "Riding my scooter. I lost track of time."

He was thankful he didn't have a reputation of being a liar, or else she might not have accepted that.

"Get inside," she stepped off to one side to allow him entrance, he walked in without a word, "We have much to discuss, young man."

_Oh boy..._

What was he supposed to say? _I was out fighting ghosts who want to hurt my dad? _He paused at the sight of his father standing stiffly in the living room, with his arms crossed. Jasmine was there also, reading a book, pointedly not looking at Danny. Wasn't she supposed to be in bed by now, or was she deliberately being given special privileges?

"Haven't you gotten your report card?" Maddie didn't wait for a response, "Let me see it."

He dug through his backpack for it and handed it to her.

"Danny!" She said as she finished looking it over, "This is the first time you've been late home, _and_ your grades are slipping!"

"You haven't done your chores these last few days," Jack added.

Danny was caught off-guard. He'd _totally forgotten_ about his chores. "I'm—sorry," he got out.

Jack quirked an eyebrow, "Guess who's been doing them all day?"

Danny looked off to the side, "You?"

"Yup."

"What concerns me is how you expect to work for NASA when you're getting C's," Maddie broke in.

That struck a chord within Danny. He just looked at her.

Something in her purple eyes seemed to realize she'd hit a button, but she kept going, "Talk to us, hun. That's what we're here for."

He sat down on the couch a little ways from Jazz, feeling heavy, "I don't even know how to explain it to you guys." Was this it? Was this going to be the night he told them?

"Danny, that's the oldest one in the book," Maddie said firmly, "There's nothing you're going through your dad and I didn't experience at your age."

_I beg to differ..._

Jazz closed her book with a look in her face like she was going to say something. Nope. Tonight wasn't going to be the night.

"Maybe the reason Danny thinks you can't relate to him is because you don't tell him more stories of when you were younger," she was probably going to go on a whole spiel.

Maddie didn't let her, "Jazz, we tell you two stories all the time."

Jack's eyes lit up, "Wait, Jazzy might be right," all three of them looked to him, "Weren't we talking about going to that reunion, Mads?"

Maddie's brows furrowed, "Yes, but I don't see..." she trailed off.

"A family vacation—a break. We've been going through some stuff lately, maybe this'll get it all off our chests." Jack was the idealistic one of the two, Danny thought. He could see his mom trying to decode the meaning of her partner's words in her analytic brain, cogs turning.

"I can understand how that will work," she said finally, "Danny, we'll be going over what you're having trouble with on the trip there."

"Trip where?"

"To a college reunion your father and I have been invited to in Wisconsin."

Jazz interjected, "_Wisconsin?_"

"Yes. An old friend of ours from our college days in that State is hosting the reunion."

"For how long?" Jazz continued.

"It's in four days. We can get there by our RV in less than that time." They lived in northern Illinois.

"We're going to miss school?" Of course, Jazz was concerned about that.

"Yes. You'll be fine," Maddie answered directly, "Danny, are you hungry?" It was a non-sequitur, but nothing his mother said was without reason.

"No. Sorry I missed the food."

"What did you eat?"

"Burgers. At the Nasty Burger. My friend Sam paid for it..." She had. She was rich and claimed it was no big deal.

"Alright. Don't be so late from now on. Go to bed." Maddie was giving out orders now.

"'Kay," he agreed and moved to the staircase, "G'night." His parents returned the word.

He tossed and turned in his bed for around a half-hour before finally falling asleep.


	27. BITTER REUNIONS, 2

The following morning, Danny almost got started preparing for school, before remembering that he wasn't going to school that day. Or the next, or the day after that. He, his sister, mother and father were packing for the trip to Wisconsin. Danny's cell phone rang around the time it would have been lunch at school. It was Tucker.

"Dude, where are you?"

"I'm at home. My family's going on a trip for a few days. You know, like we always do." This wasn't the first time the Fenton family had ever gone on a 'family vacation,' as Jack had called it. Most of them had been ectologists' conventions.

"Oh…"

"You guys won't strangle each other without me?" Danny joked.

"Nah," Tucker said, "We'll be cool."

It was the first time Tucker really admitted to being more at ease around Sam than he used to be. Danny was gladdened. They talked a little more, then hung up.

The four of them headed out in the RV that afternoon. Jazz and Danny were in the backseats, of course, being children, while Jack drove (like a maniac as he was known for), Maddie sitting shotgun.

"So, Danny," Maddie said after a while, "What's been bothering you at school?"

"Nothing…really…" he felt guilty and strained, "That I can think of."

"Jasmine, have you noticed anything about your brother?"

"He's being ridiculed pretty badly by his peers," his sister responded matter-of-factly, "I hear them—talking—about him sometimes."

"Yeah," Danny half-heartedly glared out his side window, "Why don't you ever do anything to stop them?" He didn't look at her as he asked this.

There was silence in the vehicle, which meant Jasmine was surprised. Good. He'd been keeping his opinions to himself long enough where she was concerned.

"I—I do!"

He _did_ look at her, then, unbelieving, "Right, because you _want_ to ruin your own reputation by defending me."

Jasmine's face was priceless to him. He thought, with a hint of triumph, that he'd caught her.

"Danny, don't be that way to your sister," Maddie scolded, "I'm sure she's being honest with you."

"Sorry," Danny said, though he didn't feel very sorry.

Maddie took a breath, "Why would you let peer pressure get to you, Danny? It's not worse than it was before, is it?"

He guessed that was the best lie to use, "I…don't know." Dash and his cronies had abused him physically, sure, but they'd done that in middle school, too. "It's just annoying."

"And this annoyance is distracting you from schoolwork?"

"Yeah...looks like it." He rubbed his head.

"We did go to the vice principal about that guy you don't get along with. Has anything changed?" Jack cut in.

"I'm sure he still hates me. But I haven't heard much from him since." So maybe something had worked out. He hoped.

"That's good. Let's make a promise, son: that you won't let some stupid kids get in your way of working for NASA. Can you make that promise for me?" Jack had no idea how his request affected his son. Danny's heart clenched.

"I promise." Danny vowed. The ghost thing wouldn't break his dreams. He refused to let it.

"Good."

No one else said anything for a long time.

* * *

When it was time to sleep they all laid side-by-side in the back of the RV. It was certainly big enough for all four of them to fit. They weren't really ready to sleep yet, Jazz and Jack sat up talking with one another, Maddie read a book lying down. Danny was quiet. How would the town fare without him to fight off ghosts? It was only four days he would be gone...or five, counting how long it would take to come back to Amity Park.

"What's this old friend of yours like?" Jasmine inquired of her father.

"He's great! A rich guy nowadays, he was the bee's knees when we were in college. We used to call him Vladdy."

"Which is short for...?"

"Vlad Masters." Jack didn't add onto it, his tone telling them he knew he was dropping an informational bomb.

"_What?_" Jazz's eyes widened, "What, as in, the billionaire philanthropist?" Her voice held a note indicating she wasn't convinced.

Even Danny's attention was caught now. He'd heard the name before. An obscenely wealthy man who went out of his way to donate to charities, was voted Most Handsome of the year for some magazine or other for rich people (he was pretty sure) and was from what Danny could gather one of the richest men in the United States. Maybe the planet, but that might be stretching it. He wasn't an expert on these things, he wouldn't know.

"The same guy! He's done really well for himself..." Jack paused, "You know..." He seemed unsure of what to say, which was unusual for him, "Well..." Danny narrowed his eyes. Rarely had he ever seen his dad become upset, and he wasn't certain this counted as being upset, but _something_ was off-kilter, "He got into an...accident, while we, your mother and I and him were working on a project, in the University of Wisconsin," Danny noticed Maddie had closed her book, "And...to be honest with you, the accident was my fault. He was hospitalized for two years."

Shocked silence. Maddie's face was soft.

"But I suppose that may be in the past now, since he's invited us. He sent us a letter, recommended bringing you kids along. I hope he's forgiven me."

"I'm sure he has, Jack," Maddie held her husband's hand.

For once Jazz didn't seem to know what to say.

Danny watched his parents for some time.

* * *

The next day was rather boring. Sitting in the backseat, staring out the window.

"Jack," Maddie broke the quiet, "That project we've been commissioned on...I'd forgotten all about it."

At the word 'commissioned,' Jack's face lit with recognition, "Well, heck, Mads. Me, too."

Danny resisted a snort when his sister asked, "What project?" She just _had_ to open her mouth.

Through the rear-view mirror Jack glanced at them both, "Something your mom and I are being paid to do by the BER. Unfortunately the whole thing might end up being done past the due date."

The BER. Bureau of Ectoplasmic Research. A government organization. Danny's parents collaborated with them often. They were nicknamed the Guys in White, in parody of the fabled Men in Black, because of their white suit uniforms.

Jazz was genuinely curious now, she always was whenever she could find out more about her parents' work, especially since ghosts had been proven to exist in her eyes, "Can I ask what it is?"

Maddie and Jack looked at each other. Maddie shrugged. Jack nodded once and explained, "Do you remember those armor suits your mother and I designed for ourselves? The orange one for me, and the blue one for Mads?"

"The jumpsuits?" Danny blinked.

"They're _not_ jumpsuits," Maddie laughed, "They're highly advanced, form-fitting suits, meant to be worn while combating threatening ecto-entities."

"The BER wanted some of their own, specially made by us," Jack said, "Of course, they wanted them in white."

Danny's heart-rate sped up. He suddenly realized he knew what they were talking about. The suit he'd stolen from the lab closet when the Lunch Lady attacked Casper High. It had been one of those commissioned suits. He was wearing an inverted version of one of his parents' specialized projects every time he shifted into ghost form, complete with the set of goggles.

"I haven't even looked at them in weeks," Maddie frowned slightly, "If the lab weren't so sterile I'd worry they're getting dusty."

Danny stared at his lap.

Next time they checked on the suits, they would find one misplaced.

* * *

A little after five p.m. Danny peered through the windshield and was jarred by the striking sight of a gigantic, ornate old castle not very far away at all. He'd been dozing, he looked out his own window again and soaked in the vision of beautiful gardens, nearly maze-like.

"We're here, kids," Jack was beaming, "Isn't it impressive?" He seemed awed by it himself.

"It is, actually," Jazz concurred.

"Huh," Danny's reply was much less descriptive but he was definitely ogling the place.

Jack parked.

Danny waited for everyone else to get out of the RV first. As his feet touched the ground he asked, "Do we just walk up or does some butler escort us in?" He was partly messing around.

Jack grinned, "I don't see anyone, I'm sure there's no harm in going up and—"

One of the large wooden doors opened.

Danny squinted to see who it was. A tall figure dressed smartly, crisply, Danny couldn't make out the details of the guy from this distance. There was a heartbeat before Jack bounded forward, his wife and children following suit. Danny wondered if they'd be brushed off by the very same butler he'd mentioned a few seconds earlier. That would be embarrassing, _"Excuse me, sir and ma'am, it is too early to come inside just yet."_ He could just see it happening. Would they even be that polite?

The closer they got, however, the more obvious it became that this was the man his father had spoken of. Vladimir Masters. His expression was warm and welcoming, the way he walked forward as the four of them came up the steps with arms outstretched screamed 'friendly.' His hair was gray, oddly enough, with a silvery stripe down the middle. Strange, his eyebrows didn't match, dark and standing out against the pale frame of long ponytailed hair. He didn't look all that forty-ish, though he must have been.

"Jack...and Maddie! You've never looked lovelier, my dear!" His voice was smooth, deep and charming. Danny decided right away he liked him. Masters oozed trustworthy. It was kind of nice, Danny thought, after all the ghosts he'd met as of late who wanted to beat the tar out of him, "Please, please, come in." He gestured inside, which was air-conditioned pretty nicely, Danny found as he came in after his mother. Also green and yellow. Lots of green and yellow. He would have smiled politely at Masters when he passed by but the man didn't meet his eye.

Danny took in the sight of all the cheeseheads and other merchandise placed about the room and made an educated guess, considering his dad was also a Packers fan, "You're a—"

"Packers fanatic, yes," Masters' voice said from practically right beside Danny, who blinked at him. When did he get there?

For a second Danny thought he saw a look cross Jazz's face indicating that she wasn't impressed at all, but she said nothing.

"Just like the good old days, huh, Vladdy?" Jack asked, "I'm sure you've still got your old moves—"

"I never had any old moves," Masters waved off and Danny weirdly got the impression he was staring off into the side of Jack's face more than directly looking at him, "All those years in the hospital robbed me of that." He said it so calmly but with a layer of meaning which made them all go quiet. Then, his neutral expression burst into a smile, "Certainly gave me time to chart a course for my life, didn't it?" It broke the silence so well everything seemed like it would be all right. He said some more things; Danny breathed an inaudible sigh. That definitely meant Masters forgave his dad for what happened to him, right?

Masters proceeded to show off a football signed by some famous Packers player, his prized possession, talking about things with Maddie and Jack, subjects that clearly the minors of the group were not supposed to be a part of. Danny, to his own surprise, edged closer to Jasmine who was watching the three adults like a hawk, Danny himself was paying more attention to their words than how they were interacting.

"...the whole reason I'm hosting this reunion is so I could reconnect with you two."

"That's fantastic! I mean..." Jack was actually at a loss for words for a heartbeat, "I don't know what to say."

Masters hmm'd, "That's a first. Do you need somewhere to stay the night?" He didn't wait for an answer, "I insist you stay in my castle."

"I dunno, V-Man, we do have a pretty cool RV..." Jack rubbed his chin.

Jasmine coughed, "Let's stay here," she coughed again.

Her parents and their old friend all stopped and turned to she and her brother.

"Smooth," Danny said sarcastically with an appropriate hand gesture.

"Well, the children have spoken," Maddie lifted her hands before her in a sign of mock defeat. The look Masters gave her was oddly warm.

"I guess we'll have to stay here, then," Jack said, "I'll get our bags later."

"Wonderful! I'll show you your rooms—rather, the rooms you can choose from, there are indeed that many—and then I can boast some more about the things I own," he grinned humorously and Danny's mouth quirked.

As they followed him Masters glanced at Jack knowingly, as if he understood exactly what made the Fenton patriarch tick, "You know, Jack, there's a legend about this castle that it's haunted..."

"Do tell, buddy!"


End file.
